SSBB: The Ultimate Battle
by celticskyedancer
Summary: When the Brawl Tournament begins, the major villains of the different games team up for world domination
1. Newcomers

SSBB: The Ultimate Battle SSBB: The Ultimate Battle

**Chapter One: The Newcomers**

"Attention Smashers." Mario's booming Italian voice echoed throughout the main hall of the smash mansion. All the veteran fighters from the Melee tournament looked up at the stage expectantly. Today they would be announcing the newcomers to the next tournament: Brawl.

"The highly anticipated moment has come. Our first new character to be introduced is from Dreamland." Kirby, unable to get a good view standing, puffed up and floated above the crowd. "I am pleased to introduce the swordsman, Meta Knight."

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, falling onto the stage. "Poyo, poyo, poyo, poyo…" His gibberish exclamations were joined by a series of hugs and handshakes to the impassive warrior.

"It is good to see you too, Kirby," the swordsman said gruffly as he walked off the stage.

"Also from Dreamland, I introduce King Dedede."

Meta Knight glanced over his shoulder in shock. Kirby glanced at Mario questioningly then exploded into a rant of angry poyos. Mario smiled apologetically. "The folks at Nintendo felt that Dreamland should have three total representatives."

"Still the same old Kirby," King Dedede said, patting the pink puffball on the head. Kirby glared at the giant penguin and pulled out a large hammer.

"Stop it!" Mario exclaimed. "Save your fighting for the tournament."

Kirby put his hammer away with a long, angry glare at King Dedede. He then stormed off to introduce Meta Knight to his friends: Roy, Marth, and Link.

Mario smiled. "Now entering from Hyrule, Toon Link."

"What?" Link exclaimed. "There can't be three Links."

"Well, yes," Mario said, appearing nervous. "I hate to tell people this, but some people are going to dropped from the Brawl tournament." Enraged and fearful cries of "What!?" and "Oh no" filled the audience. Mario raised his hands for silence. "My apologies. To solve this Link dilemma, Young Link is going to be dropped since he is basically just Link."

"Well that makes sense," Link said.

"What!?" Young Link exclaimed. "You can't be serious." The Master Hand suddenly appeared above everyone's heads. It picked Young Link up by the collar and carried him out of the room. "Let me go! I belong in this game. Noooo…."

An uneasy silence fell over the crowd, people anticipating who would be cut next. Toon Link somehow maneuvered his way next to the original Link. He stared wide-eyed at the Hylian swordsman.

"Our next character is from the _Kid Icarus_ series. Although it is not well-known, this character is a worthy fighter. Please help me welcome Pit." An angel with light brown hair stood nervously on stage. He walked off quickly and stayed at the edge of the crowd, obviously trying not to attract attention. However, being the only angel there, he received many curious stares.

"Joining us from Kanto is the Pokémon Trainer, also known as Ash." (_I know it's not really Ash, but he is in this story.)_ A black haired boy stood o stage and waved at the crowd. Pikachu ran through the crowd and leapt onto Ash's shoulder. "Pika pi!" the yellow mouse pokémon exclaimed affectionately.

"It's so good to see you Pikachu," the boy said, "but it looks like we can't fight together. Will you be able to face me?"

"Pika pi," Pikachu declared confidently.

"Also knew is Lucario." A pokémon resembling a black and blue dog standing on its back legs appeared. "And this also brings more bad news," Mario said. "We had to make some cuts with the pokémon. Mewtwo and Pichu, you two will have to leave."

"What!?" Mewtwo exclaimed, outraged. A ball of blue energy swirled in his hands. Crazy Hand grabbed Mewtwo while Master Hand grabbed a struggling Pichu. When the two hands disappeared, a dazed Jigglypuff crawled out from under a table where it had been cowering throughout the chaos. Seeing that it was not one of the pokémon who had been cut, it twirled around in glee.

"Joining us from the popular Pikmin series is Olimar and his army of Pikmin." A short guy in a space suit stood on stage surrounded by plant-like beings in different colors. Everyone clapped politely.

"Also knew to the tournament is the space pilot Wolf."

"What!?" Fox and Falco exclaimed as Wolf walked on stage.

"You've got to be kidding me," Falco said.

"How did you get here?" Fox asked Wolf, as the fighter walked towards them with a smug grin on his face.

"Obviously I am a better fighter than you and the chicken."

"Excuse me," Falco said. "Chicken? I am a falcon, and one of the best pilots in the galaxy."

"From the _Earthbound_ series comes Lucas." A blond boy with a cowlick stepped forward.

"Yes!" Ness exclaimed, leaping high into the air. He did a victory dance when he landed. Lucas ran up to Ness and the two gave each other high fives.

"Next are two new additions from the Mushroom Kingdom. First off, I give you Diddy Kong." Donkey Kong leapt to his feet, beat his chest, and cheered for Diddy Kong enthusiastically. "And Wario." The fat man walked onto the stage, receiving a few boos. Everyone glared at him, wondering what he had done to deserve to be in the Brawl Tournament. "Also Dr. Mario will not be returning."

"Next up, from the Fire Emblem continent of Tellius, I give you, Ike."

"Sweet!" Roy exclaimed, running up to Ike. "Hi, I'm Roy. It's about time they put another swordsman from Fire Emblem in the game. What's your sword called?"

"I'm sorry to tell you Roy, but only two people can be from the Fire Emblem series," Mario said.

"Well that's too bad," Roy said. "Looks like they're kicking you out, Marth." He waved good-bye to the blue haired prince in the audience.

"Actually Roy, we took a poll, and…well fifty-one percent of fans said Marth should stay; plus he is starring in a new game, so…"

"What!?" Roy exclaimed as Master Hand picked him up. "This is so unfair. I'm the mischievous pyromaniac. You can't get rid of me. Forty-nine percent of your fans will be furious. I swear…" The rest of his ranting was cut off when he was dragged out of the room.

"That concludes all the characters we had to cut," Mario said. "Next up is R.O.B.; he has been with Nintendo for a while and will be helping other people train. After that comes Solid Snake, a spy from the Konami Metal Gear series."

"You mean they are hiring non-Nintendo characters now?" Peach asked.

"Only a few," Mario replied. The enthusiasm faded from his voice. "Last but not least, Sega's mascot: Sonic the Hedgehog." The blue hedgehog raced onto stage. "How you doing, Mario? Afraid that I'll still all your fans?"

"I doubt that will happen," Mario replied. He raised his voice to address the audience. "That concludes the new characters."

"How are you doing?" Ike asked Pit as the two leaned against a wall.

"Alright," Pit replied with a shrug.

Link and Marth walked over to Ike and Pit. "Hey guys," Link said, smiling. "I'm Link and this is Marth. Welcome to the Brawl Tournament. What weapons do you use?"

"Sword," Ike replied.

"Mostly bow," Pit said, "but my bow can split into two swords."

"Really?" Link asked. "I need to get one of those. I mostly use swords, but I have some other weapons also."

"Are you both from Fire Emblem?" Ike asked.

"I am," Marth replied. "Link is from Hyrule."

Link looked from Marth to Ike and from Ike to Marth. "Does Fire Emblem like using blue-haired, blue-eyed swordsmen as protagonists for their games?"

Marth shrugged. "Who knows."

"Ahem," Mario said. "We'll also be introducing a new element in battles: the Final Smash, a powerful move which will usually destroy your opponents in one hit. Samus has volunteered to demonstrate."

The warrior stepped onto the stage, wearing her tradition orange and red varia suit. An orb glowing in iridescent hues appeared on the stage.

"You must destroy this sphere to gain the ability to use your Final Smash." Samus shot the sphere with a missile. An iridescent aura surrounded her. She then fired a powerful beam of energy. The wall that she fired at was totally obliterated. Someone whistled in admiration.

As soon as the blast ended, however, Samus' armor malfunctioned, falling off her. The blond- haired, blue-eyed fighter stood in her blue zero suit, looking shocked.

"We'd also like to add that Samus will also fight in her zero suit," Mario said, running off stage.

"Listen you Italian plumber," Samus said. "I told you that I wasn't going to do this."

"Nintendo out-ruled you so they had to find some way to make you fight in your zero suit. They just made your Final Smash too powerful for your armor to handle."

Captain Falcon let out a catcall. Several of the newcomers were shocked to discover that Samus was a girl, including Ike and Pit. Samus picked up her helmet and threw it as hard as she could at Captain Falcon. He was knocked out as soon as the projectile made contact with his skull, even though he was wearing a helmet.

Samus walked off stage, muttering a stream of curses. "I hope you didn't depend on your armor _that_ much," Link taunted.

"I can still kick your ass, fairy boy," Samus retorted.

"I have got to come up with a good comeback," Link replied.

"Don't worry too much about it leftie," Marth said.

"Whatever, pretty boy."

"Why don't we show you around," Marth suggested, not in the mood to fight with Link.

"That would be great," Pit said. "I'm sure I'll get lost in this place anyways."

"It is pretty confusing at first," Link said. "But we'll show you the ropes."

"_You_ won't," a lyrical voice said. Zelda walked up behind Link. "Remember how we have a certain event planned for tonight, or rather in an hour."

"Don't worry, Zel; I won't miss our date," Link replied.

"Oh, I am making sure of that," she replied, grabbing his arm. She started to drag Link away. She then turned to Ike and Pit. "Oh, I almost forgot. I'm Zelda."

"Nice to meet you," Ike replied.

"Very nice," Pit added. Link glared at him.

"Come on," Marth said. "I'll show you around. Hey Kirb, want to help?" The puffball nodded and joined Marth as they exited the main hall.

Chapter Two: A Growing Conspiracy

Later that night, under a canopy of stars, two shady figures discussed many things – tomorrow's battles, the newcomers, and a joint dream. A dream of world domination, or at least the control of their own world.

"Mewtwo's absence changes things," Ganondorf said.

"He was a key element in the plan," Bowser agreed. "Do you think that the new pokémon could replace him?"

"That Lucario? He didn't exactly strike me as an evil pokémon."

Bowser thought about it for a second. "I guess your right," he replied. "Could any of the other newbies help?"

"Possibly," Ganondorf replied, "but there aren't many evil newcomers. Nintendo focuses too much on the heroes. Unfortunately too many of the other villains are left out…" A malicious gleam entered his golden eyes.

"You have a new plan?" Bowser asked, trying not to sound too excited.

"Even though Nintendo hasn't hired any of the other villains, who's to say that they still can't help us? We each have a similar goal in mind? Why not work together to defeat these so called "heroes" once and for all?"

Bowser smiled. "I like the sound of that. Nothing would give me more pleasure than crushing Mario once and for all. The plan could work."

"Whatever could work, I want in on," a gruff voice said.

Bowser and Ganondorf looked up to see a gray wolf in a blue space suit. "You want in on what?" Bowser asked.

"Whatever evil conspiracy you have planned," Wolf replied. "I know that you're planning something. I want in on it."

Bowser and Ganondorf looked at each other.

"I see you don't trust me," Wolf said.

"You don't exactly have a history of being a villain."

"It's true that I have teamed up with Fox and his pathetic excuse for a team of pilots, but that was only because we shared a common enemy. Would you team up with Mario or Link if someone else was trying to take over your world? If anyone conquers the Lylat System, it's going to be my men and me. Also, working with Fox has allowed me to gain some trust; that draws suspicion away from anything I might be plotting."

"It looks like you're in," Bowser said.

"Good," Wolf said. "Now what exactly are you planning?"

"The plan is for world domination."

"Hackneyed, but continue."


	2. A Growing Conspiracy

_**Author's note: Apparently part of the second chapter ended up at the end of the first chapter so sorry for any confusion.**_Chapter Two: A Growing Conspiracy

Later that night, under a canopy of stars, two shady figures discussed many things – tomorrow's battles, the newcomers, and a joint dream. A dream of world domination, or at least the control of their own world.

"Mewtwo's absence changes things," Ganondorf said.

"He was a key element in the plan," Bowser agreed. "Do you think that the new pokémon could replace him?"

"That Lucario? He didn't exactly strike me as an evil pokémon."

Bowser thought about it for a second. "I guess you're right," he replied. "Could any of the other newbies help?"

"Possibly," Ganondorf replied, "but there aren't many evil newcomers. Nintendo focuses too much on the heroes. Unfortunately too many of the other villains are left out…" A malicious gleam entered his golden eyes.

"You have a new plan?" Bowser asked, trying not to sound too excited.

"Even though Nintendo hasn't hired any of the other villains, who's to say that they still can't help us? We each have a similar goal in mind? Why not work together to defeat these so called "heroes" once and for all?"

Bowser smiled. "I like the sound of that. Nothing would give me more pleasure than crushing Mario once and for all. The plan could work."

"Whatever could work, I want in on," a gruff voice said.

Bowser and Ganondorf looked up to see a gray wolf in a blue space suit. "You want in on what?" Bowser asked.

"Whatever evil conspiracy you have planned," Wolf replied. "I know that you're planning something. I want in on it."

Bowser and Ganondorf looked at each other.

"I see you don't trust me," Wolf said.

"You don't exactly have a history of being a villain."

"It's true that I have teamed up with Fox and his pathetic excuse for a team of pilots, but that was only because we shared a common enemy. Would you team up with Mario or Link if someone else was trying to take over your world? If anyone conquers the Lylat System, it's going to be my men and me. Also, working with Fox has allowed me to gain some trust; that draws suspicion away from anything I might be plotting."

"It looks like you're in," Bowser said.

"Good," Wolf said. "Now what exactly are you planning?"

"The plan is for world domination."

"Hackneyed, but continue."

Ganondorf took over the explanation. "The original plan relied heavily on Mewtwo's intelligence and psychic powers. However, seeing as he has been eliminated from the Brawl Tournament, we have to find a way to adjust the plan so that Mewtwo can be an asset, but not a need."

"And I take it you thought out a new plan," Wolf said.

"We decided that we should try and gain the allegiance of other the other villains that were not invited to participate in the Brawl Tournament."

"So you need my help convincing these other villains to join your cause."

"To a degree," Ganondorf replied. "You are the most technologically advanced villain here. You would be a better choice to confront a villain from one of the futuristic worlds."

"But I wouldn't be a good choice to negotiate a deal with a villain from a past realm."

"Exactly," Bowser replied. "You would be an asset. So…"

"We have a deal," Wolf replied.

--

King Dedede was soon included in the plot. Reluctantly the conspirators welcomed Wario into their group. They did not feel that his help was necessary, but he had Waluigi as an ally. The two of them could prove some use in the future.

"So have we decided which villains we should win over first?" King Dedede asked.

"Before we try to win over major allies in other areas, we must first make sure our own lands are ready for this plan," Ganondorf said.

"Of course," Wolf said, "but after that…"

"I was thinking of taking a visit to Akanea or Tellius," Ganondorf said. "They are both medieval kingdoms like Hyrule."

"I could convince Dr. Eggman to join us," Bowser said. "I've met him before; he should be fairly easy to convince to join us."

"Could either you or Ganondorf talk to Mewtwo?" Wolf asked. "If he was originally part of your plan, you should be able to get him to help easily."

"Time will become a factor," Ganondorf said. "My missions in Akanea and Tellius might take some time."

"I can probably do it," Bowser said. "I don't fit into many other worlds. Most of these other worlds are completely human."

"True," Wolf agreed. "It is a huge inconvenience. However, I think I could talk to someone in Samus' world."

"Alright," Ganondorf said.

"What about us?" Wario asked, feeling left out of the plan.

"I need you to keep an eye on the Mushroom Kingdom," Bowser said. "I will be busy in these other worlds so I need you to make sure everything is running smoothly in our world."

"Alright," Wario replied, still feeling a bit left out.

"I was thinking," Kind Dedede said. "We will need some kind of base of operation until we launch our first attack. We could use my castle in Dreamland. It may seem a little out of the way, but it is inconspicuous enough."

"Sounds good," Wolf said. "When is our next meeting?"

"Let's try to meet in a week; that should give us plenty of time to take care of our different tasks. Remember, we can't let any hero here suspect for even a minute that we are planning something. Watch everything you say and do."

The villains quickly dispersed into the darkness without saying another word.


	3. Battles

**Chapter Three: Battles**

Zelda watched as Link and Pit faced off against Marth and Ike in the team battles. Link and Pit were on the green team while Ike and Marth were on the blue team. "Let's see how your boyfriend does in this fight," Samus said. The bounty huntress was still stuck fighting in only her zero suit.

"Link will do fine," Zelda replied, brushing back a lock of her blond hair. The last fight Link had been in was against Samus in her full armor. He lost. The Hylian princess leaned forward in her seat anxiously.

"Hopefully this match will be much more interesting than their swordfights last year. A bunch of guys swinging metal blades gets old after a while. You need missiles and weapon upgrades to liven things up."

"Maybe you'd enjoy this matches more if you didn't sleep through them," Peach said. "Or maybe you just need a boyfriend fighting in a match."

Samus stared at Peach for a few moments in silence. "Do I look like the type of person who needs some knight in shining armor to rescue me from peril? No offense," she added when both princesses who were frequently being kidnapped turned to glare at her. "Honestly, I do not know why you make such a big deal about me being single."

"You're like twenty-three, right?" Peach asked. Samus nodded. "And you've never been kissed, correct?" Again Samus nodded, rolling her eyes. "So it's time you had a boyfriend. Do you want to grow old and live the rest of your life single?"

"That future sounds perfect," Samus said.

"Maybe you're just insecure. I can change that. All you need is some make-up and some clothes and…"

"Don't make me hurt you, Peach," Samus said. "If I wanted to attract boys, then I'd probably have a boyfriend. I could care less about any male here. They are all a pain in the…"

"Look the match is starting," Zelda said, interrupting Samus before she could finish. She gave both here friends a look that told them to stop talking until the end of the match.

Pit took to the skies, landing on the upper platform, while Link remained on the ground. Both fired arrows at Marth and Ike, hoping to stop or at least slow their opponents' advance. Ike, being new to the tournament, was temporarily slowed by the volley of arrows. However, Marth was used to moving under fire. Combining timed jumps and his shield, the blue-haired prince reached Ike with minimum damage.

With only one person firing arrows, Ike moved in. Pit split his bow into twin blades and parried Ike's attacks while Link and Marth exchanged blows. Marth moved into a series of swift attacks, forcing Link backwards. As soon as he had recovered, Link leapt up bomb in hand. He hurled it at Marth.

During his first few fights against Link, Marth had fallen victim to that attack. Now he was used to this counter and had correctly predicted it. He grabbed the bomb, throwing it straight above him, directly at Pit. The angel was struck by the explosion, and fell to the ground. Unfortunately for Pit, he was now extremely vulnerable. Marth leapt up into the air, utilizing his Dolphin Slash technique.

Ike and Marth were too busy taking advantage of Pit to notice that Link had found a cloaking device. The invisible swordsman caught both members of the blue team in his Spin Attack. Link then moved into several rapid attacks, catching both Marth and Ike off guard. Ike managed to back out of Link's range where he picked up a pokéball, tossing it at the invisible Link. A Ho-oh appeared on the battlefield.

Zelda gasped as Link and Pit were consumed in the fiery whirlwind. The two members of the green team went flying offstage. The green team may have been behind now, but they were both temporarily invincible, and Link had picked up a hammer. Both Marth and Ike tried to avoid Link's frenzied attacks. Ike was successful; Marth was not.

The fight continued in this fashion until Link, Ike, and Pit had only one life each. Marth still had two lives. A glowing sphere floated onto the stage – the Smash Ball. All four smashers noted its arrival and began a frantic rush towards it. Pit nearly reached it, only to fly straight into Marth's full charge. The angel, who had already received significant damage, was hurled offstage. Now Link had to hold off both Ike and Marth, but he had reached the Smash Ball.

The Hylian glowed in an iridescent aura. He ran forward, catching both Ike and Marth in his Triforce Slash. Light from the Triforce shot out from the back of his left hand, striking both swordsmen. They were both trapped by the Triforce, helpless against the succession of lightning-quick attacks Link launched. Both flew off the stage. Ike was finished, but Marth still had one life left…and zero damage.

Marth grabbed a home-run bat and began to chase Link all over the stage. Link knew that if he got anywhere close to Marth's range, he would be a goner. The Hylian managed to use his bow and bombs to inflict some damage on Marth, but not much. Nowhere near enough damage to send Marth flying even a few feet backwards. Being so attentive of each others' moves, neither swordsman realized that a bob-omb had appeared on the field. Left alone, it had begun walking straight towards the swordsmen. Marth chased Link towards the edge of the field. Link leapt over Marth, and began heading towards the middle of the stage. He saw the bob-omb and barely jumped over it. However, there was no chance of Marth dodging it. Maybe if Marth had been a few feet closer to the middle of the stage, he would have survived. But Marth was near the edge of the field, and as a result, he was ejected off the stage.

"The winner is the Green Team," the announcer said. (No one knew exactly who he was. There were theories, but no solid evidence.)

"Yes!" Zelda exclaimed, springing to her feet to cheer for Link. Samus and Peach smiled at their friend and joined in her applause. Mario walked over to the three girls.

"Hi Mario," Peach said flirtatiously.

The plumber blushed. "I hate to interrupt you ladies, but you have a match in fifteen minutes, Samus. It will be a team battle with five lives each. You'll be on the blue team."

"Fine with me," Samus said, grabbing her gun. "Who am I fighting with?"

"The newcomer, Solid Snake," Mario replied, slipping into Samus' seat next to Peach.

Samus sighed as she headed towards the blue team training room. _Great, _she thought. _I get stuck with a newbie. Just my day._ The blond huntress sighed and walked into the warm-up area. She proceeded to move through a few stretches before the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She casually turned around, pretending to stretch. Her blue eyes fell on a cardboard box which she was sure was not there a second ago. Adding to her suspicion were the words "Not Snake" written on one side.

"I know it's you, Snake," Samus said. Her cerulean eyes glared at him. "You can stop spying on me."

"This is not Snake," a falsetto voice said. "This is just your average cardboard box."

Samus walked up to Snake and kicked the box off him. The mercenary glared up at her. "Do not touch the box, lady," he said. He stood up, brushing dust off his blue combat uniform. The next moment he found himself staring at the ceiling.

"Do not call me lady ever again unless you want me to beat the crap out of you," Samus said. She turned around to start throwing a few punches and kicks at a sandbag suspended from the ceiling. She noticed Snake watching her out of the corner of her eyes. She threw a few more hard punches before turning to glare at him. "Do you mind?" she asked.

"What?" Snake innocently asked.

"I'd appreciate it if you stopped staring at me."

"I think you're just paranoid," Snake replied.

Samus glared at him for a second before diverting her attention to a screen on one of the walls. It showed the next match up. They would be fighting Ness and Lucas on the red team.

"Looks like we're facing the munchkins," Snake said.

Samus smiled. "They don't stand a chance."

--

"Well Ness and Lucas put up a good fight, but Snake and Samus still won. Snake was barely holding onto his last life while Samus was comfortable with two lives and minimal damage. Then again, Samus was one of the most elite fighters in Super Smash Bros. Halfway through the fight she had broken a Smash Ball, regaining her Power Suit.

"Not bad for a newb," Samus said after their battle was done.

"You did alright," Snake replied. "Although I figured you were strong after you somehow managed to send that Captain Falcon into a coma for three days just by hitting his helmeted head with your helmet. How hard did you throw that thing? Do you like have a personal vendetta against him?"

"No," Samus said. "I just don't like boys who try hitting on me. No one here is worth my time."

"Well maybe I could be worth your time," Snake said, putting on his best smile. He once again found himself staring at the ceiling.

"Nice try," Samus said, walking out of the room.

Snake stood up, brushing himself off. _Well she didn't put me in a coma. I take it that's a good sign._

--

"I still say it was a cheap win," Marth told Link as they sat in a lounge with Ike, Pit, Kirby, and Meta Knight.

"You're just sore that I won and you lost," Link replied.

"There was no way you would have won. I had practically no damage, and you had a ton. You only won because I was hit with a bob-omb. You would have lost otherwise."

"Maybe, maybe not," Link said. "The point is I didn't. You're just jealous because I am the better fighter."

"Pride is a deadly sin," Pit commented.

"At least I didn't get creamed by a girl," Marth said.

"Care to repeat that, pretty boy?" a dangerously low voice asked.

"I didn't say anything, Samus," Marth said hastily.

"I heard you. Do you want to prove how tough you are?"

"Um, that's okay," Marth said. "I'll pass."

Samus glared at him before crashing into an armchair. "Nice fight Link."

"Thank you, Samus," Link said. "We all know Marth is a pathetic fighter."

"You are just jealous of my perfect looks," Marth replied.

"Vanity is also a deadly sin," Pit said.

"You two better be careful," Ike warned. "Karma will come back and hit both of you. My bet is you'll both end up in a serious accident, and Link will be paralyzed while Marth will be horribly disfigured."

"You have an awful imagination," Marth replied.

"I don't think the goddesses of Hyrule care much about pride and vanity," Link told Pit.

"Yes, they do," Pit replied. "I've worked for your goddesses. They're pretty nice, but they still see pride and vanity as deadly sins. Farore thinks you need to tone your pride down some."

"Have you worked for other goddesses?" Marth asked.

Pit shrugged. "A few."

"Have you worked for the goddesses of Tellius?" Ike asked.

"Wow," Samus said. "I don't think I've ever seen someone hit the fetal position that fast."

"Never again," Pit said, shuddering. "Ashera is like strict dictator to the max while Yune is a spoiled brat."

"They reverted to their original form of Ashunera," Ike replied.

Pit shuddered harder. "_Great._ Two terrors in one body."

"Poyo," Kirby said sympathetically.

"I can't believe we lost," Zelda said, entering the room with Peach. They both wore red team outfits.

"Who did you fight?" Link asked.

"Bowser and Ganondorf," Peach replied.

"Tough," Marth said.

"I almost got Ganondorf," Zelda said. "I was landing blow after blow on him as Sheik, but he got one good hit on me and well…"

Link nodded in understanding. When Zelda fought as Sheik, it didn't take much damage to send her flying off the field. She collapsed next to Link on the couch. He put an arm comfortingly around him. "You'll get them next time, Zel."

"Depends on who I'm fighting."

"Well if Link faces Samus next time, we all know what the result will be," Peach said.

Zelda laughed. "I do not see what is so funny," Link said.

"You have never beaten me," Samus said. "Ever since the original tournament, I've been kicking your ass."

"It's not ladylike for a woman to cuss," Zelda said.

"In case you haven't noticed, Zel, I ain't a lady. I am a highly trained bounty hunter."

Peach had just sat down when she suddenly jumped back up.

"Is something wrong?" Marth asked.

"I almost forgot. Marth and Sonic will be fighting in five minutes. I can't afford to miss this match. I just hope there will still be some seats left."

"That will be an exciting match," Link said, starting to stand up. He glanced over at Zelda. She smiled. "You can go. Just save me a seat, I have to take care of some things first."

"Thanks Zel," Link said with a smile. He rushed off to join Peach, Ike, Marth, Meta Knight, and Kirby.

"Hey Marth, is something bugging you?" Peach asked.

"It's nothing," the swordsman replied.

"Now we know something's wrong," Link said.

"It's Sheeda's birthday today," Marth replied after a minute.

"Who's Sheeda?" Ike asked.

"She's Marth's girlfriend," Link replied.

"Fiancée actually," Marth replied.

"That's so sweet," Peach said. "I didn't know you were engaged."

"So you popped the question to Sheeda and you didn't even bother telling us?" Link asked.

Marth shrugged.

"So Ike," Peach said. "Do you have a certain special someone."

"Not really," Ike replied hesitantly.

"Really?" Link asked. "I would think that someone like you would have a girlfriend."

"There is one girl I like," Ike said, "but it wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

"She's royalty; I'm not."

"Oh," Marth said quietly.

"Oh?" Link asked. "What is that supposed to mean. So what if the girl you like is royalty. Zelda is royalty and I'm not; we still date."

"And I like Mario even though he's just a plumber," Peach said. "If you like this girl you should tell her you love her."

Ike shrugged. "I don't think any of the nobility would allow me to marry a queen."

"That is where the difference between you and Ike is," Marth told Link. "Hyrule doesn't have a very prominent noble class. Aside from the royal family, your nobility are practically nonexistent."

Link shrugged. "Then I don't know what to tell you, Ike. I'm unaccustomed to dealing with nobility of any kind. I still think you should try." He glanced over his shoulder. "Okay, whoever is following us can come out."

Toon Link stepped out of the shadows. "I'm sorry," he stammered. "I didn't mean to spy on you. You're just so cool, and…"

Link smiled. "It's okay; you can come with us if you want."

"Really?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Sure," Link replied with a shrug. Toon Link leapt in the air with joy and followed Link down the corridor.


	4. Nintendo vs Sega

**Chapter Four: Nintendo vs. Sega**

By the time Zelda made it to the stadium, there was barely a seat to be spared. She spotted Link's green hat in the crowd and walked towards it. He smiled when he saw her and motioned to a seat he had somehow managed to save. Zelda smiled in return and sat down.

"You're just in time," Link said. "The match is about to start."

Zelda nodded, then glanced at Toon Link, who sat on the other side of Link. "I think it's sweet how you've taken Toon Link under your wing."

Link absently nodded before lowering his voice to a whisper. "He won't stop following me."

Zelda chuckled silently.

"I was afraid you were going to miss the match," Peach said, smiling back at her friend. "I like your dress."

"Thanks," Zelda said, smoothing the skirt of her gown. She wore a graceful gown with a pink bodice and white skirt. "At least someone noticed." She glanced at Link.

"I was too busy noticing your beautiful eyes," Link responded.

"Nice recovery," Zelda said, playfully punching him in the arm.

Mario and Sonic appeared on stage. "The match is starting!" Peach exclaimed, giving the implicit order that no one was to speak at all until the match was over.

Neither Mario nor Sonic exchanged any words or verbal taunts. Their faces showed that they were clearly here for fighting; both were almost unbelievably serious. They stared at each other for moments before springing into action.

Mario hurled fireballs at Sonic, but the blue hedgehog easily dodged them. Sonic zoomed in towards Mario, curling up into a ball before attacking; he struck Mario several times repeatedly. Mario counter-attacked before leaping back to grab a red shell. He flung the shell at Sonic, knocking the hedgehog back.

Sonic recovered quickly and grabbed a ray gun, raining fire down at Mario. The plumber leapt up onto a platform above Sonic. Even though Sonic threw the ray gun up at Mario, the plumber easily dodged it. Sonic jumped up, knocking Mario off the ledge.

When the plumber recovered, he picked up a home-run bat. He glanced up to see Sonic heading his way. He charged up the item, knocking Sonic off the stage. Even though the hedgehog had received little damage, the home-run bat was a one-hit KO.

Sonic, however, came back onstage, temporarily invincible. He charged at Mario, hitting the item out of his hands. Sonic could have tried to pick up the bat, but chose instead to force Mario towards the edge 

of the stage. Grabbing Mario, Sonic attacked with a spinning chainsaw move. With one powerful kick, he sent Mario flying offstage.

The match continued in this fashion, each smasher exchanging punch for punch, and kick for kick. The fighting was fierce, both Sonic and Mario fighting to showcase the best of Sega and Nintendo. Finally they both had only one life left and about fifty-percent damage; both were exhausted. The Smash Ball floated onto the stage. Both Mario and Sonic made a mad dash for it. They both knew whoever could successfully use their Final Smash would be declared a winner.

The Smash Ball began floating towards Mario. Sonic made a desperate leap, but started to fall short. He was not going to make it. He pulled out a spring and used it to leap farther. Mario's fingers were just about to touch the Smash Ball when Sonic pushed him back, grabbing the Smash Ball. (It looked just like the Heisman Trophy.) Sonic stuck his tongue out at Mario and broke the orb. The seven chaos emeralds swirled around him as he glowed with a golden light. He turned into Super Sonic and smirked at Mario. The hedgehog used his speed to rapidly attack Mario, dealing massive damage. The Italian plumber flew offstage with a cry that sounded like "Mama Mia!"

"The winner is Sonic."

"Alright!" Sonic shouted, running back and forth across the stage in celebration.

"Oh no," Peach said. "I can't believe it."

"Yeah," Link said. "Looks like Mario's perfect record is shattered."

"I guess Sonic is as good as everyone says," Marth commented.

"I better go check on Mario," Peach muttered, heading to the infirmary.

_Author's note: I figured that a fight between Sonic and Marion deserved a whole chapter to itself. And I apologize to any Mario fans who wanted him to win, but in my opinion, Sonic tops Mario. Period. Also, the Heisman Trophy pose was my brother's idea; I thought it would be funny so I hope you like._


	5. Garnering Allies

**Chapter Five: Garnering Allies**

"You have a visitor Dr. Eggman, sir," one of his orange and yellow robots said.

"Really?" the evil genius asked, looking up from his desk; he was not expecting anybody. "Let them in."

"Long time, no see," Bowser said, walking into the room.

"Well, well," Eggman said. "If it isn't Bowser. What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since the Olympics. What brings you here?"

"I have a proposition for you," Bowser replied.

"Do tell," Eggman said, interested.

"I assume you know about the Brawl Tournament."

"Of course. I'm planning an attack while Sonic is away fighting in it. I assume you have similar designs on the Mushroom Kingdom."

"In a way," Bowser replied. "How would you like help from other villains?"

Eggman leaned forward, intrigued. "What are you planning?"

"The small group of villains participating in Brawl, including myself, has decided to team up with villains from the other worlds in order to gain world domination once and for all."

"And what makes you so sure that this plan will succeed compared to other schemes? Neither you nor I have a record of success."

"We are mostly counting on the element of surprise to throw the heroes of balance. Also no attempt of world domination on this scale has happened before. The results could be disastrous…for the heroes I mean. Aliens armed with cannons facing soldiers with lances or those with magic against those without. The possibilities are endless."

Eggman pretended to mull the idea over, but he had already been won over. "Alright Bowser, you have my help."

"Excellent," the Koopa King said with a smile. "I look forward to working with you. We'll keep in touch."

--

Silver and Blaze smiled as they returned to the future after visiting Sonic and friends. Actually, they did not see Sonic. The world's fastest hedgehog was busy fighting in a tournament. They had watched live coverage of Sonic's fight versus Nintendo's mascot, the Italian plumber named Mario. Sonic's victory had been highly celebrated. Amy had been ecstatic. No doubt she was still celebrating.

Their smiles fell when they noticed the bleak landscape around them.

"Silver," Blaze said.

"Yes," the hedgehog replied.

"I don't know about you, but I remember the future being a lot more…bright."

Silver sighed. "Something must have happened in the past to change the future. We're going to have to see what." Silver used his time-traveling powers to glimpse back into the past to see what went wrong. "Blaze, come look at this."

"What is it?" she asked, peering back into the past. Her amber eyes narrowed. "What is Bowser doing with Eggman?"

"Whatever it is it can't be good," Silver said. "I'll bet it has something to do with this bleak future. We have to warn the others."

Blaze nodded. "Once again we're messing up the time-stream continuum," she muttered, following Silver into the vortex.

"I'm afraid I can't let you interfere with Eggman's plans," a sinister voice said as they stepped out of the vortex. Silver's hands glowed green with telekinetic energy while Blaze had two fireballs ready to throw. "Predictable," the voice said, right behind Blaze. She started to pivot around, but something heavy crashed into the back of her head. She crumpled to the ground unconscious.

Silver's amber eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger. "Mephiles," he hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm stopping you from telling Sonic and his friends about Bowser and Eggman's plan," the dark hedgehog said.

"So Eggman let you in on his plan?" Silver asked.

"No, I overhead his discussion with Bowser," Mephiles replied. "He may not know I overhead them, but I'm sure they'll appreciate my help. This gives me the perfect opportunity to exact my revenge on Sonic, Shadow, and you. I could care less about their plans for world domination."

"Well, I'll just have to stop you right here," Silver said, lifting up a nearby boulder with his telekinetic energy.

"Do you really want to do that?" Mephiles asked. His hand glowed with dark energy. He aimed his attack at Blaze's unconscious form. "She'll die if you do."

Silver grimaced as he held Mephiles' gaze angrily. Slowly he lowered the boulder back to the ground.

"Good," Mephiles said. His attack struck Silver instead. The hedgehog cried out in pain before fading into blissful oblivion.

--

Mewtwo glowered at his reflection in the water. He had been part of the Melee Tournament, and now he had been discarded like a pile of trash. All of his skill had been quickly forgotten. No doubt the other Smashers had replaced him with Lucario in their minds.

"Hello Bowser," he said without looking up. "I am curious as to how you got through Kanto undetected."

"I didn't," the Koopa King replied. "I scared two little girls half to death. It was actually pretty funny. Another boy thought I was some kind of legendary pokémon. I just swatted his pokéball away."

"So you and Ganondorf still want to go through with the plan?" the psychic pokémon asked.

"We have some new allies," Bowser replied. "We have much more aid to pull of this plan."

"I see," Mewtwo mused. "Then why do you still need my help?"

"We need a representative from the Pokémon lands," Bowser said. "Besides you are intelligent, and an original member of the plan. Will you help?"

"Of course," Mewtwo replied. "After Nintendo so carelessly gave me the pink slip, I'm ready to bring those heroes down. Bringing them down will bring Nintendo down."

"Great," Bowser said. "I'll see you in about a week."

Mewtwo smiled. Revenge would be sweet.

--

Vaati and Zant looked up as Ganondorf entered the room. "About time you got here," the wind mage muttered. One withering glance from Ganondorf silenced him.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Ganondorf said. "Aghanim is busy at Hyrule Castle."

"How much longer must we remain idle?" Vaati asked. "I'm sick of these endless preparations. Surely we can see some action."

"In good time," Ganondorf said. "If we do not proceed carefully, this whole plan will fall apart." He turned to face Zant. "I trust you completed your mission."

Zant nodded. "Her Highness was certainly surprised to see me again."

"What did you do with the Twilight Princess?"

"She's locked away in a prison. There's practically no way she can escape."

"Practically no way is not as reassuring as a definite no way. Make sure someone is guarding her at all times. Last time you thought her unimportant and she ended up ruining the entire plan. We cannot allow that to happen again."

"Of course Lord Ganondorf," Zant replied.

Ganondorf turned to face Vaati. "You will see your action soon enough. Right now continue what you have been doing."

"Yes sir," Vaati said through clenched teeth.

--

Wolf sighed as he looked at the interior of the strange alien vessel he was aboard. He had just finished convincing the space pirates to join their cause. (Not an easy feat, but mentioning Samus Aran had done the trick; there was not a single space pirate alive who did not loath Samus.) He had even gotten the dragon Ridley to join them, but now a strange group of aliens had captured him. He waited for the leader of these aliens to appear. One of the doors opened and in stepped a tall, menacing, black alien.

"Who are you?" the alien asked. He spoke with an authority that marked him as the leader.

"I am Wolf."

"Clever name," the alien said sarcastically. "Where are you from?"

"Isn't it customary to give your own name in reply?" Wolf asked.

The alien stared at him. "You have courage; I admire that. Very well, I am known as Black Doom. Now where are you from?"

Wolf thought about making some smart retort about the cleverness of this alien's name, but decided against it. "I am from the Lylat System."

"Ah yes," the alien said. "An agreement I made with a certain Andross kept my soldiers out of it. But Andross is dead now, isn't he?"

"You know Andross?" Wolf asked after a shocked second.

"I believe that is what I just said," Black Doom replied. "But what is one from the Lylat System doing here? Few people from the Lylat System have access to this realm of space. I assume you must be from the Super Smash Bros. Tournament because only those contenders have full access to other realms."

Wolf studied the alien critically for a moment. "You are very observant. How did you know of the Tournament? Are you an enemy of Samus Aran?"

"I do not know anyone by the name of Samus Aran. My main quarrel is with two certain hedgehogs: Sonic and Shadow."

"Then you are not from this realm."

"No, I am not. I found this realm shortly after I was beaten by Sonic and Shadow. I intended to take over this world, but the Space Pirates and bounty hunters are proving quite troublesome."

"Perhaps I could help you some way. I am part of a group of villains working together to destroy the heroes once and for all."

"I know," Black Doom said. "My spies have informed me of the deal you made with Dr. Eggman. He is an all together incompetent human, but I suppose he has his uses."

"So would you help?"

"Perhaps I could provide you with assistance, but you will have to help me in return."

"As long as the reward you ask for is not ridiculous, I think an agreement would not be too hard to fix."

"I think we could make an agreement. I will give you most of my requests later, but I do ask one thing: you leave Shadow the Hedgehog for me to finish off."

"I can assure you that you will get your revenge," Wolf replied.

--

Garnef paced across the chamber of his small tower study. He was once a powerful, dark mage, but was now reduced to a weak, old man. This was that Altean prince's fault – Marth. Strange how one word, one simple name, could send such intense hatred through his body that he was nearly driven insane by it.

The door to his study barely cracked open. "I will see no one," Garnef said.

"Ah, but I have a proposition for you," a dark voice said. "A tall man entered the room with dark skin, gold eyes, and fiery red hair. Garnef could see avarice in this man's eyes.

"What do you want?" Garnef snapped.

"I am giving you a chance to get your revenge against Marth."

Garnef's eyebrows rose. "I'm listening. How do you know Marth?"

"I come from a distant land known as Hyrule, and let's just say that my enemy has become good friends with Marth, making Marth my enemy."

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to destroy Marth, but surely you need something from me? That bastard has reduced me to nothing but a wrinkled, old man. If you need my help, you must find a way to restore my power."

The man chuckled. "You want power, and I have the Triforce of Power." He held up his right hand and a golden triangle glowed brightly on it. The golden light filled the room, and instantly Garnef could feel his strength returning to him.

"Amazing," he breathed, standing straighter and taller than he had in a while. "Who are you."

"My name is Ganondorf."

Garnef smiled. "And I am Garnef."

--

Wario looked at the small assembly of villains in Smash. "So when do we launch this massive attack? I am tired of waiting."

"In good time," Ganondorf said. "There are some loose ends to tie up. We are still uncertain of the full extent of Tellius' aid, even though our work there went well."

"Ike will certainly be surprised to see King Ashnard and that general alive again," Wolf said.

"Those loose ends will take how long?" Wario was impatient for action.

"Our first attacks will be in four days, but we have one more stop to make," Ganondorf said.

"Really where?"

"Elibe."

--

"Very good Roy," Marcus said, watching the young swordsman train. The aged paladin sat on his horse, admiring the speed and grace with which Roy fought. "Fighting in that tournament has improved your skill beyond my expectations."

Roy absently nodded. _Yet I was still discarded like a sack of trash,_ he thought bitterly. A seed of resentment at Nintendo was growing inside him. He felt jaded and betrayed.

"Sir Marcus," a servant said. "Lord Eliwood wishes to speak with you at once."

"I see," Marcus said. He turned to face Roy. "Finish your training then you can take the rest of the day off. You deserved it."

"Yes sir," Roy replied, turning to face the practice dummy. The training grounds were strangely empty except for him.

"Is this really a way to be wasting your talent?" a familiar voice entered his mind.

The swordsman turned around. "What are you doing here, Mewtwo? What if someone sees you?"

"I already caused one serving maid to faint," Mewtwo said with an unconcerned shrug. "Are you mad at Nintendo?"

"Mad?" Roy asked. "That's a huge understatement. I'm not mad: I'm furious, enraged, pissed…"

"The how would you like to get your revenge on Nintendo?"

"What are you saying?"

"You help me and… others in a plan to overthrow Nintendo and control all the worlds; we would let you rule your own lands instead of imposing our will here."

"Would that put me against Marth and Link?"

"Your so called 'friends' don't seem to care much for you. They've already replaced you with Ike. Have they even sent you a single letter or postcard? I don't think so."

"How would you know?" Roy asked. He glared at Mewtwo, but felt there was a certain truth in his words. He had not received even a "Hi, how you doing?" from anyone. Not even Mario had sent him a letter of condolence. They had just forgotten him.

"I sense your anger," Mewtwo said. "You would be a valuable ally to our cause. What do you say?"

Roy thought about it. He did not want to fight Marth or Link, but they obviously did not care about him. Plus he wanted to show Nintendo that he was not weak. He could make them pay for cutting him. What to choose? Friends or revenge? Were his friends even worth that much? Finally he made up his mind.

_Author's note: Mwahaha…Cliffhanger ending. Sorry but you'll have to wait for the next chapter to see Roy's decision. Will he be a good guy or a bad guy?_


	6. The Plot Unfolds

**Chapter Six: The Plot Unfolds**

_Author's note: Okay, this is the moment everyone's been waiting for, which side Roy will choose. This took forever to type. This chapter is like twice as long as the other chapters in this story. I would have finished this much sooner, but I suffered from a brief span of writer's block, a lack of willingness to actually type this, homework, and I haven't been near a computer much; plus we lost power for most of one day. (Excuses, excuses, I know) Okay and I also forgot to put a disclaimer in the first chapter._**I do not own Super Smash Bros., Nintendo, or any of the characters in this story.** _(Wow big surprise.) Please tell me you all knew that. Congratulations if you're still reading this author's note because I would have skipped it and read the story. Since everyone is so interested in Roy's decision I will stop talking until the end of the chapter. (Promise)._

Thoughts reeled through Roy's mind, but finally he made up his mind. "Alright, Mewtwo. We have a deal. I'll help you out. If Nintendo won't give me respect as a hero, perhaps they'll give me respect as a villain. Maybe my friends will treat me with more respect also."

Mewtwo smiled. "Glad to hear that you'll be helping us out, Roy. Your swordsmanship will be a great asset."

"When are you planning your grand attack?"

"Most likely within five days. There are a large number of villains working with us, most notably myself, Bowser and Ganondorf. Most of the villains you will most likely not have met, but I believe you will soon fit in. You will be fighting mostly in Akanea, Tellius, Hyrule, or here."

"So I'll be fighting my ex-friends mostly."

"Will that be a problem?" Mewtwo asked.

"The exact opposite," Roy replied. "I look forward to facing Marth and Link."

"Good." The psychic Pokémon tossed Roy a small handheld communicator. "Don't let anyone from Elibe see it. That is future technology, and they wouldn't understand it. We will let you know when it is time to attack the Smash Mansion. Understand?"

"Crystal clear."

--

Amber eyes flicked open. Silver's vision wavered as he slowly sat up. His head felt like a cinderblock had been dropped on it. He groaned in pain. "Are you awake?" a voice asked.

"Blaze?" Silver asked, his eyes finally falling on his feline friend.

"Oh, good you are awake."

"Where are we?"

"In some kind of prison. I don't know exactly where."

"What about Mephiles?"

"I haven't seen him." Blaze fell unusually silent. "I'm sorry Silver."

"For what?" he asked.

"I can remember parts of a conversation between you and Mephiles. I'm the reason we're stuck here."

"Mephiles could have easily knocked out me instead of you," Silver replied. "We were both completely unaware of his presence. He caught us completely off guard. We'll just have to escape somehow." He concentrated his telekinetic energy on the door, with no results.

"It's no use," Blaze said. "I can't use my pyrokinetics either."

Silver rubbed his temples. "How are we going to warn Sonic about Eggman's plot?"

"You won't be warning Sonic about anything," a menacing voice said. A grotesque alien stepped out of the shadows. "In fact you two will be the perfect bait to lure him to his demise."

"So you're another one of Sonic's enemies?" Silver asked. _How many enemies does Sonic have?_

"In a way. My main dispute is with Shadow the Hedgehog, but not that concerns you. I doubt Shadow would risk his life to save you two."

Silver had no response to that comment. He glared at the black alien. "Who are you, and where are we?"

"If you must know, I am Black Doom, leader of the Black Arms. You are imprisoned aboard my main starship. I would not try to escape. It is impossible."

"Nothing's impossible," Silver muttered, after the alien leader left. Sometimes Blaze found Silver's optimism inspiring; other times she felt that his naïveté got the better of him. Now she could not tell which opinion held more truth. She did not want to just give up, but she could see that there was no possible way of escape…for now. Unless something changed, even if they got out of their cell, they would be stuck on the ship in the middle of space. Best just to wait and see if something would happen. Blaze sighed. But would they be dead by then?

--

A musical sound like the tone of a bell woke Knuckles up from his peaceful nap. A serene, green glow emitted from the Master Emerald. He jumped to his feet wondering what was wrong with the Master Emerald. A figure obscured in the green light floated out of the Emerald towards the ground. A female echidna in ancient clothes stood on wobbly legs.

"Tikal!" Knuckles exclaimed, catching her as she stumbled forward. "What are you doing here?"

"Something is happening in this world that is affecting Chaos' domain," she said softly.

"What's happening?" Knuckles asked, concerned.

"I wish I knew," she replied. "I have no clue what's going on; I just know that whatever is about to happen will have disastrous consequences." Her blue eyes were grave.

"Well you might as well alert the others to this danger," Knuckles said. _Great time for Sonic to go off and fight in some tournament._

--

"What kind of ship is that?" Krystal asked Slippy, sailing through space in her Arwing. Her aqua eyes narrowed, trying to classify the ship.

"I don't know; I've never seen it before," Slippy replied. His ship was somewhere just behind hers. "I don't think there's any other ship like that in the Lylat System."

The ship in question was a red and black ship, large enough to hold two ships the size of their Arwings and a crew. "Why do you think it's here?" Slippy asked.

"One minute," Krystal responded. She briefly closed her eyes, focusing on the thoughts of the individuals on board. Instantly a flood of thoughts rushed into her mind. "Whoever controls the ship is here on some reconnaissance mission; I can't tell much else, but they're definitely not from the Lylat System."

"And they've spotted us!" Slippy exclaimed.

Indeed the alien ship was flying towards them with determined speed. It fired a few volleys of laser blasts at them.

"Well, they're obviously not friendly," Krystal replied, returning fire. Despite each shot being a direct hit, the ship did not seem to take much damage. Slippy and Krystal flew around the ship in their more maneuverable Arwings, but could not penetrate the ship's defenses.

"Krystal, help! I'm caught in some kind of tractor beam."

Krystal started to fly to Slippy's aid, but found herself caught in a similar beam. "Looks like we're hostages," she remarked flatly.

Once they had been taken onboard the alien ship, they were seized and brought before the ship's leader. A strangely, vaguely humanoid creature with lavender skin studied them with intelligent eyes. "So these must be the other two members of Team StarFox," the creature mused aloud.

"How do you know Fox?" Slippy asked.

The creature did not answer, but continued to study both of them. Krystal tried to read its thoughts, but a barrier stopped her. The creature looked at her curiously. "_A telepath_," a voice in her mind said. "_I was not prepared for this. Interesting_."

Krystal's eyes suddenly felt heavy. She felt unusually sleepy. The creature must be putting her to sleep somehow. Trying to fight it, Krystal only found herself getting more tired. Stealing the strength to send one telepathic message, she weakly thought, "_Fox…please…help."_

--

We need Ike," Soren reported grimly. In less than a full day, a large army had managed to gain control of Crimea's capital city of Melior. Elincia had been taken captive, and would most likely be publicly executed in a week days unless the citizens gave into their demands. All the villagers knew that their queen would want them to fight the invaders, even at her own expense.

"Ike's away at that tournament," Titania replied. "We might not be able to make it in time to warn him. I don't even know how to reach him."

"I know how to get to him," Mist said. "Let me go."

"Alone?" Titania asked. "It's not safe for one girl to travel alone, especially during these times. Besides, how far away is the tournament?"

"Maybe four days on foot, less on horseback."

"Four days there and four days back, and Elincia will probably be dead by then."

"Then I'll fly her there," a voice said. The gathered members of the Greil Mercenaries turned to see Marcia, one of Crimea's Pegasus knights standing in the doorway. She was panting heavily, pink hair plastered to her forehead. It was obvious that she had barely escaped the chaos engulfing Melior.

"Marcia, are you okay?" Mist exclaimed, grabbing her healing staff. The Pegasus knight nodded after Mist healed her wounds. "If you need to find Ike, I can fly you wherever you need to go. It will save time. I could probably get her to her destination tonight."

Titania studied both girls carefully. "I still don't think that it's a good idea."

"What other choice do we have?" Mist asked.

The knight finally gave in. "Alright, if you two are up to it, then you'll have to leave tonight while there's not much moonlight to give you away."

"Don't worry," Mist said. "I'll find my brother."

--

Hours later, Mist and Marcia flew silently through the night sky on the back of Marcia's Pegasus. The sleeping countryside looked relatively peaceful compared to the turbulent chaos of Melior.

"Marcia, what's that?" Mist asked, breaking the silence engulfing them.

"I don't know," Marcia began to say, but was cut off as she maneuvered her Pegasus out of the way of an arrow. "Mist, don't you dare move." A volley of arrows rained down upon them, but Marcia expertly dodged the attacks while heading straight for the ground. "I'll fly off in a slightly different direction and distract them. Can you find your way to the tournament entrance from here?"

"Well yes," Mist started to say.

"Good," Marcia said, taking to the skies. "Find Ike!"

"Be safe," Mist called. She watched as Marcia flew away from the arrows chasing her. She hoped Marcia would not get shot down. The cleric sighed and began heading towards the cliffs. There was some device that that worked like warp powder in a cave which would take her to Ike.

"Hey!" a voice called. Mist froze and turned to face a soldier in nondescript, grey armor. The same armor the knights who had attacked Melior wore. "What are you doing out here so late at night?"

"I was just…" Mist stammered.

"She matches the description of that girl Lord Zelgius said to look for," another soldier said.

Mist's blood turned cold. Zelgius? But he was dead. Ike had killed him in the battle against Ashera. Was it a different Zelgius? Some gut instinct told her it was the same Zelgius.

"Might as well bring her with us," the first soldier said. He took a step towards Mist, who bolted into a dead spring. "Get her!"

Mist felt the adrenaline pumping through her. She could not fail now; not with Ike so close. She could hear the two soldiers gaining on her. She had to run faster. Neglecting to watch where she was stepping, Mist only noticed the hole when she stepped in it, painfully twisting her ankle in the process.

Mist slowly stood up, drawing her sword, Florette. Ike had taught her swordplay for self-defense, but she abhorred violence. She did not want to hurt these men even if they would kill her without a second glance.

Both the soldiers had lances, putting her at a huge disadvantage. She couldn't dodge their attacks easily because of her injured ankle. Even though the opportunity presented itself several times, Mist never moved into the offensive. Parrying or deflecting her opponent's attacks, she could not bring herself to actually harm them.

She stumbled backwards, putting too much weight on her twisted ankle. Crying out in pain, Mist found her legs buckling beneath her weight. One of the soldiers jerked her arms painfully behind her back while the other retrieved her sword.

"This is a pretty decent sword," the one soldier said. "Fairly lightweight, but still strong."

"Come on girly," the other soldier said. "We're taking you to General Zelgius."

Fear paralyzed Mist; she did not even try to break free. Her body felt heavy and limp. The soldier half pushed, half dragged her to a large, commanding tent. He pushed her inside.

"Hello daughter of Gawain," a too familiar voice said.

Mist looked up at the figure clad from head to toe in ebon armor. With no way to see his face, the man could easily have been anyone else in the Black Knight's armor, but that voice was unmistakable. Besides, Mist just knew who he was. "Zelgius," she finally managed to say. "How are you…"

"Surprised?" he asked. "I was quite surprised to find myself here."

"Ike killed you!"

"Yet somehow I am here. I suppose I have a powerful sorcerer to thank. Your brother made some powerful knew enemies when he entered the tournament."

"How do you…"

"How do I what? Know about the tournament? Let's say I have some powerful new allies who are also in that tournament. The provided the means to revive me."

"What do you want with me?"

"What do you think daughter of Gawain? I figured that you'd be the one to inform Ike about the events in Crimea. I'm afraid that I can't let that happen. Looks like I'll have to imprison you." His speed was so quick that Mist barely had any time to respond before he was behind her, knocking her out with one hit.

--

Samus smirked as she broke the Smash Ball with a missile. The iridescent aura surrounded her. She landed lightly and fired. Link's blue eyes widened in shock as he was caught in the beam. He flew off the stage violently, losing his last life. She smiled, so far this tournament was going great.

"Hey, Link," Ike said, as a group of Smashers lounged in one of three recreation rooms. "I've been wondering; I noticed that you have one of the worst records here, but you're a good fighter."

"I blame Samus," Link said.

"How is your bad record Samus' fault?" Pit asked.

"Did you see his fight with Samus earlier?" Zelda asked.

"No," Ike replied. "Pit and I were getting creamed by Fox and Falco on Corneria."

"Don't be bitter," Fox said, lounging in an armchair.

"Yeah," Falco said, playing pool against Mr. Game and Watch. "The newbies always get picked on."

"Link has never beaten Samus," Luigi said.

"Really?" Ike asked. "I would have thought that you and her were evenly matched. Is it a bad losing streak like zero to twenty."

"Much worse," Link mumbled.

"Zero to fifty?"

"More like…zero to 932."

"Wrong," Samus said, walking into the room. "1,647 to zero."

"Only 932 matches were official," Link replied.

"True, but you still lost 1,647 times."

"How do you lose that many times?" Ike asked. "Actually, how do you have the time for that many matches? That's like at least four a day for an entire year."

"I think it's more than that," Pit muttered.

"I'm not good at math," Ike replied. "I thought you and Samus were about even. How could you lose 1,647 times?"

"I wish I knew," Link said.

"It's just because I'm better than you fairy boy," Samus said.

"It's just because you get extremely lucky in our matches," Link said. "And I think I have bad karma or something…"

"I just think that Farore hates you," Pit replied.

"She said that?" Link asked.

"No, she said something along the lines of 'Samus is so cool; power to the girls! sigh Link is such a wussy."

"What!?" an enraged Link exclaimed.

"Calm down," Pit said. "She was talking about Toon Link."

"I am not a wussy!" a voice in a bush exclaimed. Marth, who had just entered the room, looked at the bush, walked over to it, and picked up Toon Link. "Hey Link, does this belong to you?"

"I wasn't spying on you," Toon Link quickly said. "I was just…shy."

"Why do you feel like you have to spend so much time with me?" Link asked, not meanly.

"You're my idol. You're like me, but so much cooler. I wanna be just like you when I grow up."

"I don't mind if you hang with me," Link replied. "You don't have to stalk me."

"You mean it?" Toon Link asked, eyes wide. He leapt out of Marth's grasp and hugged Link tightly. "Air," the older Link gasped after a moment.

"How did your fight go?" Samus asked Marth.

"Terrible. Captain Falcon falcon-punched me off the stage."

"Tough luck," Link said. Marth and Captain Falcon had a rivalry similar to Samus and Link, but Marth had actually beaten Captain Falcon a few times whereas Link had yet to beat Samus. (Even Young Link had beaten Samus once. Everyone had thought that incident hilarious, except Link.)

"I know," Captain Falcon said, entering the room. "I'm just so amazingly awesome. I pwn all." The bounty hunter flexed his muscles and winked at Samus. She rolled her eyes and went back to reading her book.

"What are you reading, Samus-dear?"

She glared at him. "One; don't ever call me dear again. Two; if you must know, I'm reading_ 101 Ways to Make Murder Look Like Natural Death._"

"Morbid," Falcon said. "It doesn't suit you." He obviously did not get the hint. Samus shot Zelda a pleading look that said 'kill me now.' Zelda sent her own look back, 'deal with it.' Samus glared at her, subtly flipping her off.

"Fox, you and Falco have a visitor," Mario said.

"Okay," Fox replied. He stood up with Falco and headed towards the Main Hall of the Mansion, where all visitors reported. "I wonder who it could be," he said.

"Most likely Krystal here to flirt with you."

Fox entered the room. "Nope, Katt is obviously here for you."

"We are not an item," Falco hissed. "What are you doing here, Katt?"

"We've lost contact with Krystal and Slippy," Katt replied.

It took a moment for her words to sink in. "What?" Fox asked. "For how long?"

"Two days. They were investigating an unidentified spacecraft when we suddenly lost contact with them. We know they weren't killed…in space at least."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Falco asked.

"Peppy didn't want to worry you with a false alarm. Plus, it's not so easy navigating through the asteroid field that surrounds the entrance to this place. I was the only pilot other than you two and Krystal who could get here unscathed."

"What about the ship Krystal and Slippy were investigating?" Fox asked.

"We managed to receive a picture of it from them before we lost contact," Katt replied, handing it to them. "But it might not be off any help. I've never seen that style of ship before. I was hoping you two might have seen it."

"Sorry," Fox said. "I've never seen a ship like this before."

"Me either," Falco added.

Katt sighed. "I was hoping you might have seen it before."

"We can hold onto the picture. Maybe somebody from here has seen this ship."

"There's a rumor that a Wolfen was seen with this ship."

Fox and Falco looked up at her. "You think Wolf and his goonies are behind this?" Falco asked.

Katt shrugged. "It's only a rumor. There's no proof."

"But you obviously think there's some truth in it otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up," Fox said.

Katt shrugged again. "Wolf is at this tournament also. He could have come into contact with foreign technology."

"We'll keep our eyes open," Fox replied. "Are you coming back?"

"I have to report to Peppy, Lucy, and Amanda, but I can come back tomorrow. Try to fight some information on the ship."

"Keep an eye out for Krystal and Slippy," Fox said as Katt turned to walk away.

"And don't get hit by an asteroid," Falco added. He knew Fox was bothered by the news when he didn't make a retort about himself and Katt. "What's bothering you?" he asked.

"Nothing," Fox started to say, but changed his mind. "It's just…I had a dream where I heard Krystal's voice asking for help. She sounded very weak. I thought it was just a dream."

"And now you think she was calling for help telepathically," Falco finished.

"I'm just worried about her," Fox replied. "This turn of events in the Lylat System bother me. In the past, there was usually peace while I was fighting in a Super Smash Bros. tournament."

"Hmm," Falco mused. "There is usually peace during these tournaments. What do you think is happening?"

"I don't know," Fox replied.

"Do you think these ships are from Samus' galaxy?"

"I don't know. We can ask her."

--

"Sorry, Fox. I've never seen a ship like that before," Samus said.

Fox sighed. He had hoped Samus would know what kind of ship it was. "Maybe Captain Falcon might know. Hey Samus, will you ask him?"

Samus shot him a look that said. _Are you serious?_

"What are you guys looking at?" Sonic asked, running up behind them. His green eyes widened when he saw the ship. "Black Doom?" he asked.

"You recognize these ships?" Falco asked.

"They're Black Arms ships," Sonic replied. "Shadow and I defeated their leader a while back."

"Shadow? You mean that sullen assist trophy that vaguely resembles you?"

Sonic nodded. "I thought the Black Arms were gone for good."

"This ship showed up in the Lylat System," Fox said. "Do you have any idea why they'd be there?"

"No clue," Sonic said. "They tried to conquer Mobius, but they were unsuccessful. Last time I checked they were still leaderless. Maybe they want to conquer a nation in your world. I can't see why they would only bring one ship though."

"It's probably on a reconnaissance mission," Fox said. "Maybe they plan to invade Corneria later."

"Who knows," Falco muttered.

"What's that?" Samus asked, pointing at a lavender spot clearly visible against the black of the alien ship.

"Perhaps it's just a trick of the light," Falco suggested, not believing himself. Now that Samus had pointed the small streak out, his curiosity was bugging him.

"Enlarge it on a computer," Samus suggested.

Fox scanned the photo, but it was extremely blurry. He sighed as he turned on a photo-enhancement program. "This will take a while," he muttered.

"It may give you an important clue as to why these ships are in the Lylat System," Samus said. "Or it could just be some weird paint job on the ship, or an asteroid, or nothing at all."

Fox rolled his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and fell asleep.

--

The computer beeped when it finished with the task. Fox looked at the screen in shock. "Hey Samus, Falco, look at this." Falco reluctantly rose from the couch where he had fallen asleep. Samus glanced up from another nearby computer; it looked like she was running some complex computer program, but was merely playing a futuristic version of solitaire. "What is it?" she asked, gazing over Fox's shoulder. Her cerulean eyes widened; "Mewtwo? What is he doing in the Lylat System?"

"Who's Mewtwo?" Sonic asked, like Falco and Fox, he had fallen asleep while the computer slowly restored the picture.

"Mewtwo was a Pokémon in Melee, but he was eliminated from Brawl," Fox replied. "It doesn't make any sense. Alien ships from Sonic's world with Mewtwo…in the Lylat System."

"Mewtwo's probably mad that he was kicked out of Brawl," Falco replied.

"But why would he be in the Lylat System? If he is mad at Nintendo, he would attack the Smash Mansion."

"Show this to Mario," Samus said. "Something's not right. The worlds don't usually collide on this scale."

"You think someone is behind this," Fox concluded.

Samus shrugged. "Mewtwo is extremely intelligent. And you're right, Mewtwo would not attack the Lylat System just to get revenge on Nintendo. There's something darker behind it. If it was just revenge, Mewtwo would have attacked us or most likely the Mushroom Kingdom."

Fox thought it over. He knew Samus was right. Plus, there was the possibility that Wolf and his gang were involved in this conspiracy, if it existed. Fox was pretty sure something was going on.

"Alright," Fox said. "I'll see what Mario has to say."

--

Mario remained silent after Fox and Samus told him about Mewtwo somehow working with Sonic's aliens. Even though he did not say anything, his eyes darkened and his brow furrowed for a few minutes. "I don't like the looks of this. There is some conspiracy going on. I would bet my position as Nintendo's mascot that Bowser is somehow involved in this."

"You're that certain?" Fox asked. Mario would not give up his position as mascot for anything.

"Do you plan on confronting Bowser?" Samus asked.

Mario shook his head. "No. Not right now at least. It could get ugly. I _do_ intend to tell the other Smashers about this though."

"We can help with that," Fox said. "But are you just going to wait for something to happen? Wouldn't it be better if we confronted Bowser, and maybe some of the other villains to prevent this conspiracy from going off?"

"Yes," Mario said. "I don't just plan to sit around and wait for something to happen, but I would like to try and find more about whatever Bowser and Mewtwo are planning."

"You have my help," Samus said.

"Mine too," Fox added. "These events are affecting the Lylat System, and I want to stop it."

Mario nodded. "Let me know if you two find any useful information. Keep an eye on Bowser and the other villains also."

"Right," Fox and Samus said simultaneously.

--

Samus walked into a training room where Link was busy working on his swordwork with Ike, Marth, and Meta Knight. She rolled her eyes. Boys and swords. "Hey listen up." All four fighters looked up at her.

"What's up?" Link asked.

"We have a problem," Samus said.

"What kind of a problem?" Marth asked.

"Mewtwo is working with aliens from Sonic's world for some reason, and they appeared in Fox's world."

"Why would Mewtwo be in Fox's world?"

"If I knew, I'd have told you," Samus said. "I don't know why. Mario, Fox, Falco and Sonic don't know why. Mewtwo is probably mad that Nintendo got rid of him, but he would not be in the Lylat System for that reason alone."

"Who's Mewtwo?" Ike asked.

"He's a Pokémon who was kicked out of Brawl," Meta Knight replied. Unlike Ike, Meta Knight had been present when Mewtwo was forced to leave.

"Mario also thinks Bowser may be involved in this."

"Then Ganondorf's probably in on this somehow," Link said.

Samus' gaze fell on a cardboard box. She rolled her eyes. "How long has that box been there?" she asked.

"I don't know," Link said. "Why?"

"Snake, I know that's you."

"This is not Snake," the box said. "Read the side."

Samus looked at the side of the box. "Definitely not Snake," she read aloud, rolling her eyes. She began charging her arm cannon, aiming in at the box.

"Alright, alright," Snake said, tossing the box off himself.

"Why are you hiding in a cardboard box?" Ike asked.

"Why not?" Snake replied. "It's simple, but very effective. Who would suspect a cardboard box of housing a secret agent? It's perfect; so obvious that no one would think of it."

The four swordsmen seemed to nod in agreement. Samus rolled her eyes. An explosion shook the mansion.

"What was that?" Marth asked.

"Only one way to find out," Samus replied, running out of the room.

--

Mario looked up at the ships bombarding the Smash Mansion. They were a combination of ships from all across the different galaxies. He glared at Bowser, who was standing nearby with a triumphant smile on his face. "I suppose you are behind this in someway."

"Partly," Bowser said, breathing fire towards the plumber. Mario leapt back, flinging his fireballs towards the Koopa King. Luigi joined him in attacking Bowser. The two brothers threw punches, kicks, and fireballs, but Bowser seemed unimpressed.

Luigi flew in towards Bowser, but the Koopa grabbed him and threw him towards Mario. The plumbers collided and went flying back into the walls of the Mansion.

Bowser laughed menacingly. Something hit the back of his skull. He turned around as a turnip smacked his face.

"You jerk!" Peach exclaimed, flinging another turnip at Bowser.

"Hello Princess," Bowser said as Peach continued to throw turnips at him.

"What evil plan are you up to this time?" Peach asked.

"The usual world domination with some help." Bowser laughed, only to be hit by another turnip. "Do you really think those little vegetables will stop me?" He walked towards Peach menacingly.

A frying pan smacked him in the face. "I won't let you succeed," Peach said, hitting him in the head again.

Bowser grabbed Peach by the arm and she screamed.

"Let the Princess go!" Mario exclaimed, ramming into Bowser. The Koopa let Peach go as he flew forward.

"Mario, are you okay?" Peach asked as the dazed plumber rubbed his sore head. Perhaps head-butting Bowser was not the smartest idea.

"Look out!" Luigi exclaimed as Bowser came spinning back towards Mario and Peach. Yoshi ran forward, helping them out of the way. Bowser missed hitting them by inches. Luigi rushed over to them.

Robots fell from the sky and surrounded them. "Are these Eggman's robots?" Mario asked, recognizing them from the Olympics.

"Very observant," a voice said. Mario looked up to see Eggman in his floating hover chair. "Hello Mario, it is so pleasant to see you again."

"How many villains are in this little scheme of yours?" Mario asked Bowser. "All of them?"

"Sadly there was not enough time to draw every villain into this plot. But there are enough to bring you down." Bowser charged at Mario. The plumber ran to meet him. While Mario and Bowser fought each other, Eggman's robots closed in. Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi took out many of the robots, but more came to take their places.

Bowser got a good hit on Mario, sending the plumber flying over the Mansion. "Mario!" Peach cried, whacking a robot with her golf club. She picked up a smiley-face turnip and threw it at Bowser. Crushing the smiling vegetable, the Koopa King approached Peach. Grabbing the Princess and slinging her over his shoulders, he pulled out a bob-omb and flung it at Luigi and Yoshi. The explosion knocked them into the Mansion. Luigi lost consciousness, but Yoshi was still awake. However, Luigi landed on top of Yoshi, preventing him from moving.

"Let me go!" Peach exclaimed, pounding on Bowser with weak, ineffective punches.

Bowser laughed menacingly. "You're coming with me, Princess."

--

Samus ran through the halls of the Smash Mansion, blasting any Space Pirate unlucky enough to get in her way. Behind her, Link, Marth, Ike, and Meta Knight cut down the aliens while Snack used his own arsenal of weapons to attack. "Where did these things come from?" Snake asked.

"How should I know?" Samus replied. She glanced back to see how her companions were faring. Marth had just disposed of the last alien when two more rounded the corner, guns aimed at Samus. A figure landed in between them and quickly disposed of them with a few hits.

"Thanks Sheik," Samus said, as the Sheikah warrior rose. Red eyes caught her blue ones as Sheik nodded in acknowledgment.

Sheik turned to face Link. "We have a problem."

"Let me guess," the Hylian said, "it involves Ganondorf in some way."

Sheik nodded. "Almost every villain in fact. They are behind this attack."

"Well then we'd better launch our counterattack," Samus said, running towards the front door. Meta Knight and Snake followed behind her. Marth was only a few paces behind when something knocked him back as he rounded the corner. A lone figure in a concealing, black cloak stood there, sword drawn.

"Are you okay?" Link asked, his gaze falling on the cloaked figure. "Who are you?" he asked, reaching for his sword. Marth put a hand out to stop him. "I can handle this," the Altean prince said, unsheathing Falchion.

Marth charged in at the swordsman with lightning-fast moves. The stranger blocked each one deftly as he knew exactly where each move would strike. He could anticipate his moves surprisingly well, almost as if he knew Marth's fighting style intimately. "Who are you?" Marth asked.

The figure didn't reply, but moved into a series of moves very close to Marth's own. This fighter was copying his moves after only seeing one combo attack. Marth caught a good glimpse of the blade. Its jeweled, gold hilt was eerily familiar. No, it couldn not be…

"Where did you get that sword?" Marth asked in a low voice.

"What are you talking about?" the figure asked. "The Sword of Seals has always been my blade, Marth."

Marth's blue eyes widened in shock. It couldn't be. But it was. "Traitor," Marth hissed.

"Who is it?" Link asked.

"Come on, Link," the figure said. "I'm offended that you don't recognize me." He discarded his cloak, letting it fall slowly to the ground. Link and Sheik gasped in shock. He wore a black tunic, black breeches, and black boots. His fiery red hair was not in its usual spiky style, but brushed down in front of his face. He seemed so different, but one fact was incontrovertible. It was definitely Roy.

_Author's note: Finally, this took forever. To point out the obvious again, it's long. Sorry that this took so long to post, but it's finally up. Hope you enjoy._


	7. First Attacks

Chapter Seven: First Attacks

_Author's note: Okay, so I finally got this updated. (I blame school and __Brisingr__. __Brisingr__ is good. Enjoy the story. P.S. Thanks for all the reviews!)_

"Surprised to see me?" Roy asked, smirking.

"What are you doing?" Marth demanded. "The villains are attacking the Mansion!"

"I know; I'm one of them."

"What are you talking about?"

"Stop denying it Marth. The truth is right in front of you. I'm a villain now."

Indeed, Roy was very different from the incendiary kid Marth had become friends with. It wasn't just his new, dark apparel that was different though; his whole attitude was radically different. It was the way he sneered at Marth, seeming to look down on him even though the Altean prince was taller. Only one word could express the maelstrom of emotions raging inside Marth, and it only conveyed half of what he felt.

"Traitor," Marth hissed.

"Is that all you can say?" Roy asked.

"Is this because Nintendo dropped you?" Link asked angrily.

"My talents are appreciated now," Roy replied. "I finally get the respect I deserve."

"And you do that by betraying us?"

"What, do you want me to feel guilt? Maybe I wouldn't have joined the villains if you had been better friends. Did you even care enough to send one letter?" Roy eyed them levelly. "Well?"

"What are you after?" Marth asked. "If you want an apology from us, then we're sorry."

Roy scoffed. "I don't want an apology; I want to get my revenge on Nintendo. So do others. Maybe I don't completely agree with the other villains, but I don't mind fighting you."

Roy charged forward, sword ablaze. Marth parried his attack before Roy kicked him in the gut. As Marth stumbled back, Roy moved forward, sword raised to strike Marth. Sheik lashed out with her chain, wrapping it around Marth's sword to hold back his attack. With a swift flick of his wrist, Roy managed to jerk the chain out of Sheik's hands, causing her to stumble forward. Roy winced as two needles bit into the flesh of his arm.

By then Marth had recovered his footing and charged back at Roy. Roy blocked most of his attacks. Marth lunged forward as Roy moved to the side, Falchion barely grazing his side.

"You guys go ahead," Marth said. "I can handle Roy. Others need your help more than me."

Link hesitated. Marth and Roy were fairly even fighters, but they knew each others' fighting style intimately. After all the time they had spent training together, they had developed very close fighting styles. That could easily play to either Marth's or Roy's advantage.

"Just go," Marth said.

Link sighed and rushed outside, followed by Sheik. "Are you sure you don't need help?" Ike asked.

Marth nodded. "I can handle Roy."

Ike shrugged and ran outside.

"Looks like it's just you and me," Roy said.

"I'll finish you off traitor."

--

Samus fired energy shots and missiles at the red robots surrounding the mansion. An ear-piercing shriek split the sky. The bounty huntress looked up, and her heart skipped a beat. Cerulean eyes narrowed in anger. Ridley.

The black dragon shrieked again and swooped down towards Samus. Charging her arm cannon, Samus rolled under his attack then fired, striking Ridley in the back. The dragon screeched in anger as it turned around to attack Samus.

As she rolled into her morph ball form, Ridley picked her up in his claws, flew up into the sky, and dropped her. Samus hit the ground like a basketball, bouncing back into the sky. She came out of her morph ball form, landing on her back, temporarily stunned.

Ridley grabbed Samus in his claws and flew up into the sky. Samus freed both her arms and fired several shots at the dragon. They were ineffective. She needed a more powerful blast. Ridley grasp tightened around body. What would hurt more: falling to the ground or being crushed to death? She took a deep breath and fired her powerful final smash attack. Ridley shrieked in agony as he released his grasp on Samus.

As Samus fell down towards the ground, her power suit malfunctioned, falling off her. She watched with grim satisfaction as Ridley flew off, seriously injured. If she was in her power suit, she would survive the fall with moderate injuries. But only in her zero-suit…

Something flashed in her peripheral vision. Kirby swooped under her on a warp star. Samus grabbed Kirby's stubby arm and swung herself behind him. "Thanks, Kirb," she muttered, pulling out her plasma whip. An explosion hit the warp star, knocking Kirby and Samus off. Kirby floated gently to the ground, but Samus was not so lucky. She was close enough to the ground that she was not too badly hurt. However, she landed roughly on her right arm. Samus cried out in pain as agony coursed through her arm.

"Samus, poyo poyo?" Kirby asked. Samus are you okay? The pink puffball landed next to Kirby.

"I'm fine," Samus said, sitting up slowly. She experimentally flexed her arm. Wincing in pain, she gently rubbed it. "Maybe not."

The attacks seemed to be lessening. At least in the area around them. "Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed. Look! Samus followed his gaze and saw Luigi and Yoshi lying in an unconscious heap at the side of the mansion. Well, Luigi was out cold, Yoshi flailed under the plumber. Kirby floated over to them. "Poyo poyo!" Wake up!

Luigi moaned, but remained unconscious. Yoshi squirmed out from beneath Luigi. "Yoshi, what happened?" Samus asked.

"Wapoh, wap," Yoshi said. Bowser attacked. He took Peach.

"Poyo poyo la?" Kirby asked. Where's Mario?

Yoshi pointed towards the other side of the mansion.

"We'd better go rescue Mario," Samus said, cocking her gun. She winced as pain jolted through her right arm.

"Wapoh?" Yoshi asked. Are you okay?

"I'm fine," Samus said through gritted teeth.

"You don't look fine," Meta Knight commented, flying over to join them.

"I'm a warrior; we're under attack. I can deal with it. There are more pressing matters than my arm." She ran towards the other side of the mansion.

"Poyo poy," Kirby called, floating after Samus. Come on

--

"Where'd all these robots come from?" Link asked, swinging his sword. He took out five of the red and green robots. A blue blur flashed in his peripheral vision as Sonic quickly disposed of three robots. "Hey Sonic, do you know where these robots are from?"

"These are Eggman's robots," Sonic replied, taking out another four.

"Who's Eggman?"

"My nemesis"

Link turned to see how Ike and Sheik were faring. Ike threw his sword up in the air, leapt up to catch it, and flipped down, performing his signature move: Aether. Sheik meanwhile wove her way in between the robots, taking them out gracefully. Link turned back as six robots swarmed around him. Executing his spin attack, Link took them out.

"Hello Sonic," a sinister voice said. A man in a hover chair floated down towards Sonic. He was round and short, wearing black pants and red coat. He also had a large, orange mustache.

"Eggman," Sonic hissed. "I should have known you were behind this in some way."

"True, I am helping Bowser and the other villains in this quest for world domination."

"Do you really think your plan will succeed?" Sonic asked. "I've beaten you multiple times."

"You sound very arrogant," Eggman said. "I guess I'll have to put a stop to it." Eggman pressed a button on his hover chair, and it transformed into a giant robot.

_Oh snap,_ Sonic thought as one of its hands rocketed quickly towards him. He leapt out of the way and proceeded to attack Eggman. The robot took the damage without giving much ground. Eggman was improving his robot designs; Sonic had to give him that.

"Need some help?" Link called, spin attacking some robots.

"I think I can handle it," Sonic replied. However, Eggman's attacks were getting faster and Sonic was quickly tiring. He had already taken out the majority of Eggman's forces.

"Chaos Blast!" a voice exclaimed as one of Eggman's attacks headed straight towards Sonic. The explosion sent Eggman's robot flying back.

"Thanks Shadow," Sonic said. The black hedgehog said nothing in reply, but gathered more chaos energy around himself. A young warrior with long green hair and bright blue eyes wove in and out of the robots, her katana slicing cleanly through the robots. She wore a long blue dress with slits in the skirt up to mid-thigh.

"Thank you, Lyn," Sheik said. Maybe the fighting would go smoother now that the assist trophies were helping. Lyn nodded in acknowledgement to Sheik's comment before rejoining the fray, brandishing her Mani Katti.

"Look out!" Ike called to Sheik, flipping over her to perform Aether on a robot. Sheik whirled around, whipping her chain around a robot. She moved lithely, utilizing her arsenal of hidden weapons.

Link whirled around and saw Ganondorf at the edge of the battle. He managed to work his way over to the Gerudo King. "You," he hissed.

"Hello Link," Ganondorf said. "Do you like our little scheme?"

"It won't work," Link said. "Your plans never do."

"We'll see," Ganondorf said, drawing the blade of light he had stolen from the Sages. Link adjusted his grip on the Master Sword and charged forward.

--

Marth fell back, panting heavily. Roy was certainly a good fighter. The two had spent so much time perfecting their technique against each other that they could both anticipate the other's attacks. He readjusted his grip on Falcion. He may be faster than Marth, but Roy was definitely stronger.

"Are you tiring?" Roy taunted. He was breathing heavily as well. "Am I too much for you?"

"Hardly," Marth responded, charging in swiftly at Roy. The two brought their swords together with a resounding clang. Marth feinted left, but Roy anticipated his real strike and blocked Marth's attack.

"You'll have to try something new," Roy said as the Sword of Seals caught on fire. Roy charged forward. Marth blocked his attack, but Roy snaked his foot around Marth's and swept the Altean prince's feet out from under him.

Marth rolled out of the way and barely avoided Roy's next attacks. As he leapt to his feet, he raised his sword to block Roy's incoming attack. However Roy kicked him hard in the knee. Marth stumbled back, rubbing his injured knee.

"You'll have to do better than that," Roy taunted.

Was this the Roy Marth had become friends with? He seemed radically different. Roy had never been this cocky. "Why are you fighting with these villains Roy? You are not evil. We use to be best friends. Why are we fighting? Is your revenge really so important?"

"I'm different now, Marth. You don't understand me anymore." Roy brought their swords together with a clang. Using his strength, Roy easily swept Falchion out of Marth's hands before striking the Altean prince in the back of the head with the flat of his blade. Marth crumpled to the ground, barely remaining conscious. He glared at Roy weakly, his vision darkening.

"Sorry Marth," Roy said, picking up Falchion. "Nice blade. Hope you don't miss it. Without another word, Roy mysteriously vanished.

"Traitor," Marth hissed before giving into blissful oblivion.

--

"Damn it," Fox muttered, glancing around the corner as a barrage of alien fire continued to fly in his direction. "I don't see how Samus puts up fighting these guys on a daily basis."

"Simple," Falco replied, firing one shot around the corner before taking cover. "She has an advanced power suit and we got squat. Damn, these suckers put up a tough fight."

"Pika pi!" the yellow mouse Pokémon exclaimed, sending bolts of electricity down the hallway. The Space Pirates who weren't felled by the blast continued firing after recovering from Pikachu's attacks.

"Jigglypuff," Jigglypuff said, opening her mouth to sing.

"Jigglypuff, stop!" Fox exclaimed. "You'll put us to sleep also."

Jigglypuff puffed up in anger, but listened to Fox.

"How else are we going to get out of this situation?" Falco asked.

An army of small red, white, blue, yellow, and purple plant-like things walked through the Space Pirate's fire. Slowly the fire decreased until the pikmin had defeated the last Space Pirate.

"Nice going Olimar!" Fox exclaimed.

The short captain smiled. "Any time." He summoned more pikmin to replace the ones that had fallen in battle.

"Hey!" Captain Falcon exclaimed. "Get outside! That's where most of the fighting is being held."

"Right!" Fox and Falco exclaimed, rushing outside, followed by Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Olimar and Captain Falcon. Immediately they were besieged by an army of robots. "Any idea how to get out of this jam?" Falco asked.

Before Fox could reply the sky seemed to darken. Fox looked up and gasped.

Descending from the Heavens was an enormous army of angels, with Pit at the vanguard of the assault. The angel swooped down next to Fox as the other angles took care of the robots. "Sorry I'm late," Pit said, motioning towards the army of angels. "I had to get some help."

"Perfect timing," Olimar said.

Pit smiled. "Glad to be of service." He grabbed his bow and took to the skies. "Palutena's army, follow me!"

Fox and Falco cocked their guns. "Come on," Fox said. "Let's join Pit in our Arwings and find some trouble to cause."

--

Snake followed Lucario around the mansion silently, checking his arsenal of weapons for the perfect choice. "Where are we heading?" he asked the aura Pokémon, who vaguely resemble some Egyptian god. _Anubis maybe,_ he thought._ Never did listen to Otocon's history lectures._

"Where we are needed," was the cryptic answer he got. Snake sighed. He then noticed a group of moblins attacking Ness, Lucas, and Red (okay, I know I said that the Pokémon Trainer was Ash in the first chapter, but I decided making him Red would work better. Sorry for any inconvenience. I'm too lazy to change the first chapter right now.) Looks like that was where they were "needed."

"Go Charizard!" Red exclaimed. The dragon-like Pokémon roared as he appeared in front of the moblins. Several stepped back in fear.

"PK Pulse!" Ness said. The green aura of his attack enveloped two moblins, bursting in a brilliant explosion. Lucas cowered behind his two companions. "Lucas, don't just sit there. Do something!"

Lucas shook his head, hands on his head. Snake picked three grenades and threw them at the moblins. "Hey blond Elvis, get up and do something!"

"My name is Lucas!" the angry boy exclaimed, leaping up and flailing his arms. In the process, he accidently PK fired three moblins.

"You could have done that earlier," Ness grumbled.

"I didn't mean to do anything," Lucas replied.

Snake grabbed more grenades and turned around as an army of goombas and koopas approached them. "Great," he muttered. Instead of fighting psychos, he had to fight walking fungi and winged turtles. "The things I do for money. Why on earth did I accept the invitation to fight in Brawl?"

"PK Thunder," Ness said, concentrating on sending a ball of lightning towards the approaching column of goombas.

"There are so many," Lucas wailed.

"So," Red said. "We're stronger. Ivysaur, Squirtle, come out and help Charizard!"

Lucario closed his eyes as a ball of aura energy formed in front of him. He sent it flying towards the goombas. "Any ideas?" the dog-like Pokémon asked.

A group of koopas spontaneously froze. Two figures, one in a blue parka the other in a pink parka, landed near Lucario, hammers drawn. "Ice Climbers to the rescue!" Nana and Popo exclaimed in unison. Their entrance was perfect until Popo fell flat on his face.

"Great," Snake muttered. "Saved by the midgets." Lucario glared at him.

A sinister laugh filled the air. "Wario!" Ness exclaimed.

The fat biker snickered. "Five kids, a Pokémon, and one secret agent. I'd say only two of you really pose a threat."

"You're not so tough," Ness said. "PK Thunder!" The attack struck Wario, knocking him back a ways. He grunted in pain, pulling out a super scope.

"Everybody move!" Ness exclaimed. Lucas started to run, but tripped. Ness ran over to help him. "Get out of the way!" He grabbed Lucas' arm and flung Lucas out of the way. The full charge of Wario's superscope struck him, sending him flying into a tree. The dark-haired boy landed on the ground, unconscious; his trademark baseball cap fell off his head.

"Ness!" Lucas shouted, running over to the unconscious boy, shaking him. "Wake up!"

Wario laughed obnoxiously. "You'll be next little wussy."

Lucas' blue eyes glowed with anger. "Meany!" he exclaimed. "PK Pulse!" The green light engulfed Wario and exploded in a brilliant flash. When the light faded, Wario could be seen standing up, his super scope charging again.

"Alright kiddos," Snake said, grabbing Ness and flinging Ness over his shoulder; then dragged Lucas behind him. "Time to find shelter."

--

Link stumbled back, sweat stinging his eyes. He panted heavily, his earlier sparring and fight with the robots had taken a surprising amount of energy away from himself. His current fight with Ganondorf was rapidly draining the dregs of his strength. The Gerudo king smirked, noticing Link's exhaustion. He charged in; Link was barely able to parry his attack. A painful jolt shot up his left arm. Link winced. This fight was not going well.

Link readjusted his grip on the Master Sword and skated out of the range of Ganondorf's next attack. He parried a few more strikes, rolling under one of Ganondorf's attacks. Springing forward, he thrust his sword forward. Ganondorf only smirked, deflecting Link's attack with his own light blade. The Gerudo swung his sword again. Link just barely brought his sword up to block the attack. The force of Ganondorf's attack knocked the blade out of his grasp. Link grabbed his sword and twisted away from Ganondorf's following thrust. His left shoulder burned as Ganondorf's blade grazed it. He winced, clutching his wounded shoulder.

In the next moment, Link found himself kicked back a ways. He coughed, the wind temporarily knocked out of him, and stood on shaky legs. Ganondorf followed his kick with a punch, his hand glowing with dark energy. Link flew back into a tree, his head striking the bark hard. He fell forward, unconscious.

"Link!" Sheik exclaimed, leaping up and running over the robots. She landed next to Link, transforming back to Zelda. Checking his pulse and breathing to make sure that he was okay, she turned to face Ganondorf. The Gerudo approached with a menacing look on his face. "Looks like I get to take out both of my enemies with one stroke. How convenient."

"That's what you think," Zelda said. "Farore's wind!" A green light swirled around Zelda as the winds picked up. After a bright flash, both of the Hylians were gone.

Ganondorf cursed, sheathing his sword. Glancing up at the sky, he saw Wolf shoot three flares. Their attack here was done. Time to focus their efforts elsewhere.

--

Fox jerked his Arwing into a complex turn, dodging Wolf's laser fire. He cursed under his breath. Ordinarily, he and Falco could easily take Wolf, but Wolf now had help from the Space Pirates and Black Arms. "Falco, look out!" Fox exclaimed.

Falco cursed and spun out of the way. "Damn, Wolf usually isn't this hard to beat."

"Usually he doesn't have an entire fleet of ships under his control."

"True. Maybe if we split up."

"We already tried that, it didn't work."

"There's gotta be something we can do."

"You can't do anything," Wolf said with a menacing laugh. He began tailing Falco. The blue falcon cursed. "Hey Fox, I could use a little help over here."

Fox turned to see Wolf chasing down Falco. Fox began to fly to his aid, but found a homing missile tracking him. "Sorry Falco, I'm busy myself." He flew in a series of aerial tricks, hoping to lose the missile, but to no avail. The missile tailed him persistently; if anything, it seemed to be inching closer. Not good. This missile was much more advanced than other missiles he had encountered.

Seconds before it collided with his Arwing, he pressed a button, ejecting himself from the cockpit. Meanwhile Wolf shot down Falco. Before he could see if Falco had escaped or not, he received a message from Mewtwo. It was time to pull out; they had caused enough damage here.

--

Mario opened his eyes. He groaned. His entire body felt like one giant bruise. He felt like Bowser had hit him with a homerun bat and sent him flying all the way to the other side of Smashtopia (area where the Mansion was.) Oh wait, something like that did happen. Bowser had attacked the Mansion and captured Princess Peach. Mario bolted upright. What had happened to Peach?

"Oh good, you're up," Luigi said.

"What happened?" Mario asked. "Where's Peach?"

"The villains attacked the Mansion. Everyone took pretty bad damage. After destroying an entire wing of robots by themselves, DK and Diddy Kong brought you and several other unconscious smashers here. They were taking care of everybody, but are now off foraging for food… No one knows where Bowser took Peach."

Mario fell silent. He looked around. He was in a makeshift tent. He slowly crawled outside and took mental note of the damage. Smoke was rising from the battered Mansion. It was still standing. Barely standing, but still standing. One could still see the effects from the battle: destroyed robots, a few alien ships, shrapnel, etc. The scars from the fight were still painfully visible. "We lost," Mario said flatly.

--

_Author's note: Okay, end of chapter 7, finally. I apologize to everyone who has been waiting anxiously for this story. I have been so busy, plus I suffered a severe case of writer's block when trying to wrap up all the various fights. I know the ending of this chapter is kinda choppy. Sorry. I just don't like writing various fight scenes trying to include all thirty something smashers. Also, I know Mario and Luigi are Italian, but I'm not making them talk Italian with a lot of 'a's and stuff. It's just too much work; sorry if anyone is disappointed. Also, Pokémon trainer is now Red, not Ash. Sorry for any confusions; red works better. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will get 8 up quicker than I got 7 up. Please review!_


	8. Aftermath

_Author's note: Okay, so I got this up much quicker than the last chapter. :)_ _But it still wasn't at soon as I hoped. (I blame a stupid argument in English.) This chapter sets up the plot for the rest of the story, kinda. Hope you enjoy._

Chapter Eight: Aftermath

Mario sat down outside his makeshift tent and sighed. Luigi stood next to him silently. Surrounding him were a few of the uninjured Smashers not occupied with other duties: Zelda, Ike, Pit, Snake, DK, Kirby, and Meta Knight. "What is our exact condition after the fight?" Mario asked, dreading the answer.

Zelda began with an explanation of everyone's medical condition. "Samus broke her right arm pretty bad; she'll recover, but not as quickly as she'd like. We don't have any heart containers or maximum tomatoes to heal the injuries. Our supplies were either completely raided or completely destroyed."

"Not looking good," Mario muttered.

Zelda continued: "Link is still unconscious from his battle with Ganondorf. He doesn't seem too injured though so hopefully he'll wake up soon."

"Don't worry Zel, he'll be fine," Kirby said. Meta Knight had managed to salvage a translator so that everyone could easily understand the pink puffball.

Zelda smiled weakly. "Thank you, Kirb. Ness recently woke, but suffers from a concussion. He's having trouble remembering short-term things. Hopefully it's just temporary short-term memory loss and not amnesia."

"Ness is a good fighter," Luigi said. "It would be bad if he lost his memory."

Snake nodded. "He got hit in the head hard; rather, he hit the tree with his head hard."

"Fox is alright except for a few scratches; landed in a rose bush." Everyone winced. "Falco…" Zelda broke off mid-sentence, struggling to compose a response. "I don't know. I used our only heart container to heal him. He was injured very severely when his Arwing was shot down. He couldn't evacuate in time. He managed to avoid most of the damage from the explosion, but he was still severely burned. He's doing a lot better, but… Only time can tell." Zelda sighed. "If only we had more healing supplies; if only…"

The others seemed to understand the rest of her sentence. "If only I could heal…"

"I'm sure you're doing the best you can," Pit said. "Everyone is grateful for your help."

Zelda smiled weakly. "We'll all have to do our best."

"What about Marth?" Ike asked. "How did his fight go?"

"Is Marth okay?" Meta Knight asked.

Zelda shrugged. "Physically he's fine, but mentally…"

"What happened?" Mario asked.

Zelda's face clouded with incomprehension when realization dawned upon her. "Oh…You don't know…"

"Know what?" Luigi asked.

"Roy joined the villains. He's evil now."

Shocked silence ensued. "Why that no good, dirty rotten son of a…" Kirby went off animatedly in a rant involving quite an impressive, colorful vocabulary. Seeing everyone's shocked faces he became embarrassed. "Right…you guys can understand me now.."

Mario's eyes darkened. "I find it hard to believe that Roy would become a villain so easily."

"He seemed pretty mad at everyone when Nintendo cut him," Pit commented.

"Is Roy someone from Marth's world?" Snake asked.

Zelda shook her head. "No, but he and Marth became really close friends; they were as close as brothers."

"Marth must be taking this pretty hard," Luigi said thinking about how he would feel if Mario turned evil.

"It doesn't help that Roy stole Falchion. He knows how important the blade was to Marth."

"More bad news," Mario muttered. "Donkey Kong, were you or Diddy Kong able to salvage anything useful?"

The ape shook his head regretfully. "Most of what we found was either damaged or of little use. We salvaged lots of food thankfully, but we have practically no medical supplies and little other practical goods." (He had also received a translator.)

Mario sighed. "I figured as much," he muttered glumly. "Looks like we'll have to look to other worlds for aid."

"As long as the villains haven't already destroyed our worlds already," Donkey Kong said glumly.

"I don't think they would destroy our worlds if they were planning to make this attack a surprise," Zelda said. "That would have alerted that something was up. We always keep check of our own worlds when we fight in this tournament."

"Actually I have no idea what Tellius is like," Ike said. "I don't know what the situation there is."

Mario said, "Then you might want to check your world soon just to make sure that everything is alright."

Ike nodded. He flexed the tendons in his sword hand briefly.

"It also might be best to split up," Mario said.

Everyone looked at him in shock.

"Why?" Kirby asked.

"Because when we travel to our worlds, it may be difficult for them to provide aid for about thirty warriors. Also, some of us will feel out of place in other worlds. I personally know I feel comfortable almost anywhere, but I doubt people like Samus will fit in a place like Hyrule."

"You have a point," Zelda said. "And Link and I would feel out-of-place in Zebes or another planet in Samus' galaxy."

Mario nodded. "We should probably split up into three groups depending on the similarities of our worlds."

"So Marth and I would probably hang out with Zelda and Link?" Ike asked.

"And probably Pit and Toon Link," Mario said. "We can decide who exactly will go into each group later. Right now we need to focus on helping our wounded and salvaging anything useful. We can't afford to tarry too long through. We have to stop the villains before they strike again."

A robot slowly made his way over to them. "R.O.B.!" Pit exclaimed. "I was sure that you were destroyed in the attack."

"I escaped the battle unscathed," the robot said. "I also have a small store of supplies from before the battle. I hear you are in need of them."

"Badly," Zelda said. "How many medical supplies do you have?"

"Three heart containers and four maximum tomatoes," R.O.B. said. "It would be prudent to save them for emergencies."

"And Falco is in need of more help," Zelda said. "He needs another heart container."

"Understood," R.O.B. said, procuring the requested item.

"I'll go tend to Falco," the Hylian princess said, hurrying back towards the camp.

"Is anyone else in need of medical assistance?" R.O.B. asked.

"Samus," Luigi said.

"What happened to the bounty huntress?" R.O.B. asked.

"She broke her right arm very badly," Meta Knight replied. "She is right-handed."

"Then a maximum tomato should restore her to fighting condition," R.O.B. said, procuring said item.

"I'll take it to her," Kirby volunteered.

"Alright," Mario said.

Kirby grabbed the tomato and floated off.

"I suppose everyone else can take care of things as they see fit…does anyone know where Mr. Game and Watch is?" Mario looked around at blank faces with a sigh.

"My scanners indicate that he is somewhere in the vicinity of the Mansion," R.O.B. said.

"Alright, R.O.B. and Luigi come with me; we'll rescue Mr. Game and Watch. Everyone else, help out where you're needed."

--

Samus bit back another curse. Repairing her power suit was always difficult, but it was near-impossible with only one free hand. She sighed; she probably should have asked someone for help, but she didn't trust anyone with her suit.

"Having trouble?" a friendly, high-pitched asked.

Samus looked up from her work to see Kirby standing in front of her. "No offense, Kirb, but your arms aren't exactly suited to delicate repairs."

"Then it's probably a good thing I brought this," Kirby said, holding up a maximum tomato.

Samus' cerulean eyes widened. "Where did you get that, Kirb?" she asked.

"R.O.B. had some extra supplies," Kirby replied.

"You should probably save that for when someone really needs it," Samus replied.

"And you really need it," Kirby protested.

"I'll be fine," Samus said stubbornly. However, as soon as she had said this, she accidently jarred her injured arm on a part of her armor. Wincing in pain, Samus bit her lip to keep from crying out.

"But you'll be better with this," Kirby said, offering her the tomato.

Seeing that Kirby would not be deterred, Samus took the maximum tomato and ate it. (It's a tomato so you eat it, right?) Immediately she could feel its healing properties coursing through her arm. Moments later she could flex the muscles and tendons in her right arm without much protest. It was still a bit stiff and sore, but so much better than earlier. "Thanks Kirb," she said.

"No problem," the pink puffball said. "Mario just wanted to ensure that you were in fighting condition in case the villains returned; I also thought you seemed miserable with yourself crippled by a broken arm."

"Well, now that I'm healed, I wish my suit could repair itself just as quickly."

"I could help you."

"No offense Kirb, but you have problems putting Legos together. My power suit is much more complex than that."

"I could hand you tools then."

Samus shrugged. "If you want to help."

"What do you need help with?" a voice asked.

Samus looked up to see Snake standing a little ways off. She sighed. "I'm pretty sure I have this handled, Snake," she replied.

"Come on, Samus," Kirby protested. "It will take you forever to fix your suit by yourself."

"Do you not trust me with your suit?" Snake asked.

"Not really," Samus replied bluntly.

"Would you trust Link with your suit?"

"Hell no. Link can't even remember which way to turn a screw."

"Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey."

"I was exaggerating."

"I know."

Samus sighed. She didn't like strangers working on her suit, but Snake would help her repair her suit faster. And his offer did seem sincere. "Alright," Samus said. "Just do as I tell you. This is advanced Chozo technology, nothing like your little Codec communicator."

"Don't worry Sammy; I'll get the job done."

"Do not call me Sammy."

"Will Sam work then, it's not so girly."

"Samus doesn't like nicknames," Kirby said.

"Everyone else seems to like nicknames unless their name is one-syllable."

"I''m different. Sue me," Samus said.

Snake shrugged, sitting down next to Samus. "So what exactly do I gotta do?"

--

Marth stared up at the starless night sky. A gentle breeze rustled his silky, sleek, blue tresses. The Altean prince sighed. His entire body ached and his head was pounding.

"What's bugging you?" Fox asked, sitting next to the Altean prince. "You've been sighing for like ten minutes."

"And you've been sighing for like fifteen minutes."

"Touché. What's bugging you?"

Marth sighed again, looking up to compose his thoughts. Finally he said, "It's Roy."

Fox looked up, intrigued. "Did something happen to Roy? Is he alright?"

"Oh, he's alright," Marth said bitterly. "He's a villain now."

Fox blinked twice. "What?"

"Roy joined the villains. He's evil now apparently. He even took Falchion."

"I thought only you could use your sword."

"I don't think Roy took Falchion to use it; I think he took it only because he knows how important it is to me."

"You must be taking this change in events hard."

"That's the thing – I don't know how I feel. I can't tell if I hate him or if I truly don't care that he went evil."

"It's probably the shock still," Fox said.

"How's Falco doing?" Marth asked, changing the subject.

Fox fell silent. "I don't know. Not too good; I think he's…I think he's dying. Zelda's trying to be optimistic, but one heart container won't be enough to save his life. He was too injured from the explosion."

"You must be taking this hard," Marth said quietly.

"Falco has been my best friend and partner for almost forever. The thought of losing him…"

Marth placed a hand comfortingly on Falco's shoulder. "It's too early to be pessimistic."

Zelda walked up to Marth and Fox. "How's Falco doing?" Fox asked, fearing the worse.

Zelda smiled. "Much better. R.O.B. had some leftover medical supplies and I used another heart container on Falco. He's stable now; all we have to do is wait until he wakes up."

Fox smiled in relief. "Finally some good news. I was worried that we'd lose him."

Zelda nodded. "He'll be fine once he wakes up." She turned to face Marth. "How are you doing?" she asked.

"Fine," Marth muttered, "I don't have any serious injuries."

"That is not what I mean," Zelda said softly.

Marth sighed. "What do you want me to do? Should I hate him? I want to, but I can't. Label him a villain? Roy's not a villain. If anything I feel sorry for him because he was so easily blinded by his anger. I don't know how I feel."

"It seems to me that you know how you feel; you just don't like it," Fox said.

Marth didn't say anything. "I don't know. I should hate Roy; I want to hate Roy. But after all the time we've been friends, I just can't hate him. There's no anger either, just… disappointment. A feeling like somehow I'm partly responsible for his change of sides. That if I had been a better friend, he would not have joined the villains."

"You were the best friend Roy could have had," Fox replied. "It's not your fault he went evil."

"I wish I could feel that way," Marth replied sullenly.

Zelda sat down next to Marth, placing her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "Don't blame yourself for things that you have no control over." She smiled faintly. "Link says that to me all the time at least. He says I have a bad habit of blaming myself for things I have no control over."

"That's because you do," Fox said. "You can't control everything, Zel."

"Sometimes I wish I could," the Hylian princess said with a sigh.

An Arwing zoomed overhead. Fox, Zelda and Marth looked up as it landed in a clearing. "Who's that?" Marth asked, standing up.

"It must be Katt," Fox said, "although I wasn't expecting her back this soon."

"She'll probably want to know what happened here," Zelda said.

Fox nodded. "I'll go inform her of what's happened. Watch over Falco for me." He rushed off.

"What if it's a trap?" Marth asked suddenly.

"I didn't think of that," Zelda said. "One of us should have gone with him."

"I'll go," Sonic said, rushing up to them out of nowhere. Marth cried out in surprise.

"Okay," Zelda said, unfazed. "Go catch up to him."

"I wish he wouldn't just appear out of nowhere so that," Marth muttered.

Zelda smiled. "You should meet my bodyguard."

--

"Mr. Game and Watch should be ten feet southwest of us," R.O.B. said, leading Mario and Luigi through the ruined part of the Mansion. The crumbling building was painfully derelict compared to its former splendor. Mario and Luigi walked in contemplative silence.

"I've been thinking," Mario muttered.

"About what?" Luigi asked.

"Where did Master Hand and Crazy Hand go during the attack?"

Luigi thought about it. "Good question; I don't know."

"More importantly, why didn't they help defend the Mansion?"

Luigi had no answer.

"And if they didn't defend the Mansion, then that means…"

"It means they're on the villains' side," Luigi finished. "That's not good; Master Hand and Crazy are both omnipotent beings."

"This looks very bad," Mario agreed.

A series of soft, snore-like beeps confirmed that they were nearing Mr. Game and Watch. His flat, 2D form was trapped by a pile of leaves. Mario rolled his eyes.

"It must suck to be 2D," Luigi replied.

Mario sighed. "Come on; let's get him free."

Together, Mario, Luigi, and R.O.B. freed Mr. Game and Watch from the pile of leaves. "Hey G.W. wake up!"

Mr. Game and Watch leapt to his feet, looked around, then celebrated his freedom with a little victory dance. He looked at Mario, Luigi, and R.O.B., nodding as if to say "thanks."

"Come on," Mario said. "Time to head back to camp."

--

"Falco's what?" Katt asked in shock.

"Relax, Katt," Fox said, "Falco's fine. He's still in bad shape, but he'll recover. He was a lot worse earlier." He smiled slyly. "I didn't think you cared so much about him."

Katt blushed. "It's kind of shocking to return to a damaged Mansion and find out that one of your allies is seriously injured. I was just here, yesterday."

"Speaking of which, why are you back so soon?"

"Wolf is definitely working with the unknown aliens."

"Yeah," Fox said, indicating the damage around them. "I know."

"We also think we know where Krystal and Slippy are."

Fox's eyes widened in surprise. "Where?"

"The aliens built a base in an asteroid field; we are ninety-two percent sure that Krystal and Slippy are being held there."

"Then we have to go rescue them," Fox replied.

"What do you plan on doing?" Katt asked. "I mean what is everyone hear doing?"

"I don't know," Fox replied. "I'm sure that Mario came up with some kind of plan, but I don't know what it is. I've been too worried about Falco."

"So are these the same aliens in the picture?" Sonic asked.

Fox cried out in surprise. "Where did you come from?"

"From the camp," Sonic replied with a shrug. "Zelda and Marth wanted to make sure you weren't walking into a trap. Then I heard you talking about aliens, so I wanted to see if these were the Black Arms."

"Is that what the black and red aliens are called?" Katt asked.

Sonic nodded. "If you're red and black aliens are the same ones that I'm thinking of. By the way, I'm Sonic the Hedgehog."

"Katt Monroe." She smiled. "You don't look like a hedgehog."

"I'm not anatomically correct."

"I can see that. So what do you know about these Black Arms?"

"They are ruthless fighters who nearly conquered the Earth a few years ago. Shadow and I defeated their leader, but I guess this Mewtwo creature is their leader now."

"Mewtwo?" Katt asked.

"Mewtwo used to be a member of this tournament," Fox said. "But he got replaced."

"Sounds like he's out for revenge."

"That pretty much sums it up."

"Alright hedgehog," Katt said. "How about you help us rescue Krystal and Slippy since you know so much about these Black Arms."

"Sure," Sonic replied. "But what about Mario's plan?"

"We'll have to talk to him about our plan," Fox said, "But I'm sure he'd agree that we need to rescue Krystal and Slippy. We'll need all the allies we can get in the upcoming battles."

"Alright," Sonic said. "I'll go talk to him." Sonic took off running back towards the camp in a blue blur.

"Wow," Katt muttered. "He's fast."

"Show off," Fox muttered.

"By the way where's Falco?"

Fox pointed out the tent which Falco occupied. "Going to check on your boyfriend?"

Katt shoved Fox. "I'm just curious as to how an old gang mate is doing." She waltzed off towards the camp.

--

"Congratulations on your first fight as a villain," Mewtwo told Roy as the villains celebrated their first victory. "You're performance was golden."

"They certainly were shocked to see me," Roy agreed. He moved his hand to the second blade now belted to his waist. Falchion was much lighter than the Sword of Seals, but Roy knew enough of Marth's fighting style that he was confident he could teach himself how to use it. "How'd the rest of the fighting go?" he asked. Mewtwo had not been at the battle because he had been watching over several important prisoners.

"We won," Mewtwo replied. "Ganondorf beat Link. Bowser kidnapped Peach. Wolf shot Fox and Falco from the sky; I heard Falco ended up pretty bad. Wario knocked Ness into a tree. Half the Mansion was completely decimated. Almost all their supplies were taken or destroyed. They won't stand much of a chance."

"No they won't," Roy agreed. He smiled. Who knew being a villain could be so much fun? "What do we do now?"

"Wait and set traps for the heroes when they come to check their worlds. Then we can either capture or kill them."

"Right," Roy said after a moment. "I'd better go train with Falchion so I'll be able to use if effectively." As he walked off only one thought circulated through his mind: _kill them?_

Mewtwo watched Roy walk off. He knew the swordsman's true reaction to his statement. _We may have trouble with that one,_ he thought. A command entered his mind. _Coming Master._

--

Mewtwo bowed before Master Hand as he entered the conference room. "Greetings Master," he said. He quickly glanced around the room. Bowser, Ganondorf, Wolf, King Dedede, Wario, Waluigi, and Ridley were all in the room; the other villains were either busy with other stuff (or in the case of Roy, not informed of the meeting.)

"Welcome Mewtwo," Master Hand replied. "Welcome all of you. The meeting may now commence. First of all, I would like to congratulate you for your victory. I was impressed that the attack was so devastating."

"The attack took them completely by surprise," Ganondorf said. "I was glad the attack went so well."

"Indeed," Master Hand continued, "but this war is far from over. The heroes may have lost, but one battle does not win a war. They will recover and fight again. We must continue to outthink them. We have the upper hand. WE WILL NOT LOSE IT."

"Of course, Master," Bowser said.

Master Hand turned towards Mewtwo. "You have a complaint with Roy?"

"Not necessarily a complaint; merely a concern."

"Explain."

"I mentioned killing the heroes and he suddenly grew apprehensive. He will be a problem if he interferes with our plan by saving them."

"It seems the little swordsman is still plagued by his conscience," Ganondorf muttered.

"We cannot let Roy return to the hero's side," Master Hand said. "He know much of our plan."

"I believe I can help," a dark voice said.

Everyone turned around. A tall man clad in purple armor walked in. He had blond hair and a goatee with calculating hazel eyes.

"Who invited you here?" Master Hand asked.

"I invited myself," the man replied.

"Who are you?" Master Hand asked.

"I am Zephiel, King of Bern. I can help you with your Roy problem."

"How so?"

"If he tries to go to the other side, I have a most interesting means of keeping him here." A beautiful woman covered from head to toe in a purple robe walked in, holding a girl with blue eyes and hair. The girl wore a red and white dress and a red cap sat on her blue tresses. She struggled, trying to break free from the woman's grasp.

"This is my partner Idoun," Zephiel said, indicating the woman. "As long as you have this girl, Roy will do anything you ask of him."

The girl fell still at the mention of Roy. "What did you do to Roy?" she asked.

"Nothing," Ganondorf replied, "he is only working with us."

"Liar!" the girl spat, turning her blazing blue eyes on Zephiel. "Roy would never work with you!"

Zephiel smiled. "Ah, but Roy doesn't know I'm here, Lilina."

"Roy is working with us villains," Bowser said.

"Roy is not evil!"

"Perhaps not," Master Hand said, "but nonetheless, he is gladly helping us for revenge."

"Roy wouldn't…"

"Roy did." Lilina fell unusually silent.

"What do you want to do with her?" Zephiel asked.

"Mewtwo, lock this girl in a cell. She'll make an excellent hostage if need be."

Idoun handed Lilina over to Mewtwo. The girl kicked and tried desperately to break free from Mewtwo's grasp; using his psychic powers, Mewtwo rendered all her attacks futile.

"Welcome to the conspiracy," Master Hand told Zephiel and Idoun.

--

"I wish we could send more people with you," Mario said to Link and Zelda. "But there actually aren't many low-tech fighters here."

"We'll be fine," Zelda said. "Our group is full of capable warriors."

Mario nodded. "Try to find ways to keep in touch with us."

"Don't worry, Mario; we'll be fine," Link said. "Focus on keeping yourself and your group safe."

They had split up into three groups:

Group A – Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Ness, Lucas, Sonic and Shadow (after they helped defeat the Black Arms), Jigglypuff, Pokémon Trainer, and Mr. Game and Watch

Group B – Samus, Kirby, Meta Knight, Snake, Captain Falcon, Fox, Falco, Sonic and Shadow (only while they were fighting the Black Arms), R.O.B., Pikachu and Lucario

Group C – Link, Zelda/Sheik, Marth, Ike, Pit, Toon Link, and Lyn

"Good luck rescuing Peach," Zelda called to Mario.

Mario nodded and turned to Group B, which was preparing to leave. "Safe travels," he called.

Samus nodded in acknowledgement. "We'll be alright. Just keep your group safe."

Mario nodded. "Group A, time to head out."

_A/N: Finally, this chapter should have been up weeks ago, but I have practically no spare time right now. But I will soon so hopefully I can get the next chapter up faster. Please R & R :)_


	9. Mushroom Kingdom Allies

_A/N: Okay this chapter took way too long to post. This is my fault: I have no excuse except for a lack of interest in this particular chapter. It's Mario centered, and I am not a huge fan of Mario. I'd like to claim that I was struck by a severe case of writer's block, but that would be a lie. The sad part is that I had every aspect of this chapter planned out in my mind; I just had to finally force myself to write it down. It took very little time to actually write this. I know. Sad._

Chapter Nine: Mushroom Kingdom Allies

Mario breathed in deeply; usually the smell of the air in the Mushroom Kingdom had a calming effect on him. Not today. There was too much to do. "All right group, we'll refresh and re-supply before we take on Bowser. The Mushroom Castle is probably only a day away on foot."

"All right Mario," Luigi said. "Lead the way."

The group traveled slowly across one of the Mushroom Kingdom's many plains. The brilliant blue sky seemed too happy after their devastating loss. Many of the Smashers could not feel lightened.

A unified cry of "Wapooooh!" split the air. Yoshi's head snapped up. "What was that?" Lucas asked, scared as usual.

"A herd of yoshis," Mario replied as Yoshi ran off toward his endangered kin. "Yoshi, wait!" the plumber exclaimed, but the dinosaur paid him no heed, only increasing his speed if anything. The exigency of his kin was too great.

"Come on," Mario muttered. "Let's go help Yoshi."

The group crested a hill and beheld a large herd of yoshi besieged by goombas. The menacing mushrooms were herding the yoshis into a disarrayed mob. Letting out a fierce battle cry, Yoshi charged down the hill. Mario and Luigi followed, fireballs in hand.

Yoshi charged forward, head butting one of the goombas. Mario and Luigi took down four with their fireballs. Ness used PK Fire on two while Lucas managed to hit one with PK Freeze.

"Great," Marioi muttered. "Seven down, twenty to go."

Donkey Kong leapt down, body-slamming one into the ground. Diddy Kong blasted two with his guns. Yoshi turned around and head butted another goomba. Three of the goombas teamed up on Yoshi. He cried out in pain.

"This is what we get for rushing headfirst into battle," Mario muttered, rushing to help his friend. He took care of two of the goombas, but the third knocked him back harshly. Mario recovered quickly and struck it down.

Finally they managed to defeat the last goomba. Yoshi scurried around the others of his kind to see if they were hurt badly. An older yoshi, obviously the leader, walked up to Yoshi. Yoshi began conversing with the Elder while everyone else waited patiently, not understanding anything that Yoshi or the Elder said. Yoshi finally scurried over to Mario.

"What did he say?" the plumber asked.

"He said that he was honored to meet the famous Mario and Luigi," Yoshi replied. "He also said that he was grateful that we saved his people. He said if there was anything he can do for us, we are welcome to ask."

"That's very generous of him," Mario replied, "but tell him that he doesn't have to…actually…" Mario looked at the group. "Anyone ever ridden a yoshi?"

--

Toadsworth stood on one of the top balconies of the Mushroom Castle, overlooking the Mushroom Kingdom. He was temporarily in charge while Princess Peach was off fighting in the Super Smash Bros. tournament. Everything looked so peaceful.

Looking over towards one of the fields, Toadsworth was surprised to a large cloud of dust approaching the Castle. As the dust neared, Toadsworth could see that it was caused by a stampeding herd of yoshi. The dinosaur-like creatures were barreling straight towards the Castle!

"Oh dear!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "Toad and Toadette, you have to stop the yoshi heading for the Castle. Hurry!"

"What!" the two toad guards exclaimed. Stopping a herd of stampeding yoshi could be likened to suicide.

"You don't have much time. Go!"

"Is he insane?" Toadette grumbled as the two ran outside. "He's got to be crazy. That's the only explanation."

"He just doesn't want the yoshi to damage anything," Toad replied.

"Well he's going to damage us," Toadette muttered.

As the two exited the Castle, running towards the yoshi, Toad suddenly stopped. "What are you doing?" Toadette asked. "We have to stop the stupid yoshi or else Toadsworth will fry us! We'll be trampled anyway."

"Look," Toad said. "They don't seem to be running in any kind of disorder or chaos. They look like they're running in an organized fashion."

"So?"

"I don't think they're stampeding."

"Why else would a group of yoshi be running towards Mushroom Castle?"

"Well, I don't know…"

Toadette shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about." She ran ahead, cresting a small hill; her eyes widened in shock. "Toad, get up here! You were right. It's Mario! He's droving the yoshi. It's amazing."

Toad joined her on the hill. "Told you so," he said smugly. Toadette punched him in the face. She waved her arms over her head, jumping up and down. "Mario! Over here! Hey Mario."

Mario noticed her energetic flailing and veered off towards the two Mushroom guards. "What's up?" he asked.

"What are you doing here?" Toadette asked. "We weren't expecting you until later. Did you win the Tournament already? Man, you know how to make an entrance."

"Where's Princess Peach?" Toad asked, getting up off the ground. "Is she up there with the other yoshis?"

Mario shook his head. "No. Bowser kidnapped her. That's why we're back so early."

"But I thought you said that she couldn't be kidnapped when you guys were at those tournaments," Toadette interjected.

"A lot of things have happened between then and now," Mario replied. "I need to speak with Toadsworth."

"He's inside," Toadette replied.

Mario nodded and directed Yoshi towards the Castle entrance. Toadsworth came rushing out of the Castle. "Mario, it's so good to see you. I suppose that must have been you with the yoshis. I admit you nearly gave me a heart attack. I'm ashamed to say that I panicked and probably sent Toad and Toadette on a death trip."

"Now he realizes it," Toadette muttered. Toad glared at her as if to say shut-up.

"You've brought quite a curious group with you," Toadsworth commented. Lucas was on the ground, curled up in the fetal position. Ness was wide-eyed, exclaiming how riding a yoshi was awesome. Donkey Kong was panting; he had been too large to ride on a yoshi, so he had been forced to run the entire journey. Diddy Kong was leaping up and down excitedly. The Pokémon Trainer looked a littlke nauseous while Jigglypuff stared wide-eyed at everything. The Ice Climbers were jumping up and down excitedly. "But where is Princess Peach, pray tell?"

"She was kidnapped."

"Oh my goodness," Toadsworth exclaimed. "That is not good. Why, we must save her."

Mario put a hand on Toadsworth's shoulder. "That is precisely what we're here for, my friend. Do not worry; we'll rescue Peach. But first we'll need some rest at this castle."

"Oh, but of course," Toadsworth said. "I'll make sure you will have everything you need to rescue our beloved princess."

Mario nodded. He turned to the herd of yoshi. "I thank you for giving us a ride here. Your aid was most appreciated." Yoshi translated. The yoshis nodded and ran off into the distance. Mario turned to face his group. "All right everybody," he said, "follow me."

--

"So why are we needed in the throne room?" Mario asked as he and Luigi followed Toadsworth through the halls of the Castle.

"There is an important visitor I think the two of you would like to see," Toadsworth replied. He opened the door to the throne room. "I apologize for keeping you waiting, Princess Daisy of Sarasaland," Toadsworth said.

"Daisy!" Mario and Luigi exclaimed in unison, both shocked.

"Hello," she said. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon. Did something happen? Peach asked me to check on Toadsworth, so it sounded like you all were nowhere near to being finished. Where is she?"

"She was kidnapped by Bowser," Mario replied. "That's why we're back so early."

"Then I'm going to help you rescue her."

"What!"

"No offense, Daisy," Luigi said. "But this isn't going to be like a sports match or party game."

"I know that," Daisy responded heatedly. "I know it will be difficult, but I can help you. I know how to fight. Don't forget that I sometimes covered for Peach in Melee when she was desperately needed here in the Mushroom Kingdom. Besides, I'm sure you'll need all the help you can get."

"But-" Luigi started to protest.

"Alright, you can help us," Mario said. Luigi looked at him in shock. Mario turned to face his younger twin. "I'm not too keen on the idea either, but she's right. We do need all the help we can get."

Daisy's face brightened. "Thank you Mario," she said, turning to face Luigi. "Don't worry Wigi, I'll be fine."

Luigi turned a bright shade of red. Mario snickered. "Wigi?" he asked.

"Shut-up," Luigi replied. "I'm sure Peach has created some adorable pet name for you."

"When do you plan on leaving for Bowser's Castle?" Daisy asked, interrupting the brothers before they could get in a full-fledged argument.

"We plan on leaving first thing tomorrow if at all possible," Mario replied. "Hopefully it won't take too long to get the necessary supplies for the trip."

"All right," Daisy said. "Don't worry; I won't sleep in."

"Well have Jigglypuff wake you if-" Mario started to say. "Never mind. Jigglypuff doesn't wake people up; she puts them to sleep. We'll send Toadette to wake you up if you oversleep."

Daisy grimaced. "She'll wake the whole castle up."

"True," Luigi said. "Hopefully we won't have to use her."

"Don't worry Wigi; I can take care of myself."

Mario snickered as Luigi blushed. "You are never going to live this down," Mario whispered to his brother quietly.

"Well don't just stand there," Daisy said. "Introduce me to your other companions. I'm sure I'll have met some of them, but I'd still like to reacquaint myself with them."

"Okay," Mario said. "Follow us."

--

"Okay," Daisy said. "I know you three (Yoshi, DK, and Diddy Kong); I remember you four (Jigglypuff, Ness, and the Ice Climbers); and I don't know you two (Lucas and Red.)"

"Why don't we just go around and introduce everyone even if you already know who Daisy is," Luigi said.

"Well she already knows Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong fairly well," Mario interjected.

"I'm Ness," the baseball-capped boy said.

"I'm Jigglypuff," the pink Pokémon said.

"I'm Red, the Pokémon Trainer."

"I'm Lucas."

"And I'm Daisy. I'm Peach's best friend and I sometimes cover for her in the Super Smash Brothers tournaments if there's a crisis in the Mushroom Kingdom…or Toadsworth has a panic attack."

"Which can happen quite often," Mario muttered.

"So when are we going to rescue Princess Peach?" Toad asked.

"_We're_ leaving first thing tomorrow. _You're_ staying here."

"What!" Toadette exclaimed. "We can help you."

"Yes," Mario said, "but we need you two to stay here and watch the Castle."

"Why can't we help you rescue Peach? It's our job her," Toad said.

"I understand why you want to help," Mario said, "but we need capable people to stay behind and help Toadsworth look after the Castle. You two are those capable people."

"Mario's showing how much faith he has in you two by putting you in charge of the Castle's defenses," Daisy said. "We need someone to make sure we have a Castle to come home to."

"Alright," Toad mumbled reluctantly. "We'll do it."

"Thank you," Mario replied. "I know you won't let us down."

--

Toadette sighed as she paced back and forth on the castle's walls. Not only was she not allowed to go help rescue Princess Peach, she was stuck in this boring castle above all things. She should have just stayed at her hotel instead of accepting Peach's offer to help out at the Castle. It was much more interesting there.

The young toad turned her eyes to the horizon, almost bored to tears. Her eyes widened as she saw a dark cloud heading towards the castle – except that it was not a cloud. It was a large army of robots! At its head was Bowser and a fat man in a red jacket with an orange mustache. That was the guy on Sonic's team at the Olympics! (A/N: Yes, more references to Mario and Sonic Olympics. Was Toadette even there?)

"Toad!" Toadette yelled, her voice could be heard all over the Castle. Her fellow mushroom guard hurried up to see what the problem was. His eyes widened when he saw the oncoming army. "Holy Mushrooms, is that Bowser and Eggman?"

"No moron, it's just two people who look like Bowser and Eggman. Of course it's them!" (A/N: Yes, Toadette has a little bit of an attitude problem.)

"What are they doing here?"

"What does it look like they're doing here? They're here to conquer the Castle!" (A/N: Scratch that; she has a HUGE attitude problem.)

"What will we do? We do not have an army that big."

"Then the two of you must go and alert Mario of Bowser's attack," Toadsworth said, walking up behind them. "You can escape now while it's still relatively calm around here."

"We can't just abandon you," Toad protested. Although he had not originally wanted to stay at the Castle, he could not just abandon his post. "Mario's counting on us to protect this Castle."

"I don't think Mario anticipated an attack this big," Toadsworth replied. "If you two don't warn him, he may end up walking into a trap when he returns. We'll fight back against Bowser and Eggman while you two go to alert him of what's happening."

"Alright," Toadette said, grabbing Toad's arm. "We'll go tell Mario." She began dragging her counterpart down the halls of the Castle. "He freaks out about a couple of yoshi, but he's fine when an entire army shows up," she muttered.

"Could you find anything else to gripe about?" Toad asked. Toadette started to open her mouth to answer. "I was asked a rhetorical question."

"Don't ask questions that I could take all day to answer," Toadette replied. She let go of Toad when they reached the garage. "We'll use my go-kart to find Mario."

"Why yours? And who put you in charge?"

"Because my go-kart is faster than yours, and it has a full tank of gas. And I did." Toadette jerked Toad onto her go-kart and started it up. "Mario here we come!" She stepped on the gas and floored it.

--

Mario looked at the towering, gothic spires of Bowser's Castle. (A/N: I realize that's probably not an accurate description. Oh well.) Soon they would confront the Koopa King in order to save Peach. Mario was filled with worry over how his girlfriend was faring.

Daisy glanced over her shoulder. "What's that?" she asked, indicating the large column of dust rapidly approaching them.

"What on earth?" the plumber asked, squinting as he tried to make out the form rapidly approaching them. A light go-kart zoomed past them, almost taking out Popo. The Ice Climber cried out in shock.

"Toadette, you missed them!" a shrill voice cried out.

The go-kart made a sharp, U-turn at super-high speeds, nearly careening out of control. It came to an abrupt halt, almost running over Nana (who was helping Popo up.)

"Toadette!" Luigi exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I know you said to watch the Castle," Toadette replied. "But Toad and I have an important message."

"Toad?" Everyone looked on the other side of the go-kart where Toad was on the ground – wide eyed in the fetal position.

"Bowser and Eggman are attacking the Castle!" Toadette said.

"What?" Mario asked. "Wait. Eggman? As in fat guy in a red coat with a ridiculously large orange moustache Eggman?"

"Yes! I know you said that we had to guard the Castle, but Toadsworth told us to come and tell you about Bowser and Eggman. They had a huge army – like thousands and thousands of robots. Don't even get me started about the goombas and koopas and paratroopas and…"

Mario held up his hand for Toadette to stop talking. "This is not good. We cannot let Bowser take the Mushroom Castle."

"It sounds like he'll take it no matter what happens," Ness commented dryly.

"Bowser and Eggman must have planned for you to leave and try to rescue Peach," Daisy said. "They'll probably expect you to try and heroically save Mushroom Castle."

"But if Bowser is attacking Peach's Castle," Donkey Kong said, "who's guarding his castle?"

"Maybe we can still rescue Peach before we try and reclaim her castle," Diddy Kong finished.

All eyes looked at Mario expectantly. He sighed; sometimes being Nintendo's mascot meant that everyone expected him to make all the decisions. "Alright," Mario said. "We go to rescue Peach before moving to retake the Castle. We'll need her to rally the people of the Mushroom Kingdom when we launch our attack against Bowser. If he holds her hostage, the people might not put up as much resistance."

Everyone nodded.

"Hey Mario," a deep voice said.

Mario turned around, staring in shock at the five newcomers before him. "Hello. I wasn't expecting you all. Why are you here?"

_A/N: Yes! It's done. It took way too long, but here is chapter 9. I hope you all enjoy. (Cliffhanger yet again…I'm evil.) I promise it will not take two months for my next chapter to be posted (although I'm starting softball soon so…) Anyways, I hope you enjoy my story. Please forgive my discrepancies between using "yoshi" and "yoshis" as the plural form of yoshi. I'm too lazy to look up what the official term is.) Please R & R._


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